Let Me Heal Your Heart
by JCapFan4Lyfe
Summary: Callie and Arizona are brought together by Callie's nephew. All three are reeling from the loss of their loved ones. Can they find a way to heal each one of their broken hearts? Rating is M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So here's a new story I'm trying out. RYLAH is still in progress but I've had a hard time getting into the swing with that one. I think I'm still hoping my flash drive will magically show up. Anyhow reviews are always welcome. **

**I own nothing related to Grey's Anatomy, Callie or Arizona. If I did, no other characters on the show would great screen time. **

"I don't know what to do. This is the fifth time he's had a suspension, in-school or out-of-school, in the last two months. The school was really understanding at first. They excused a lot of his behavior when he first started, went the extra mile to be patient with him and frankly with me, but then things started to settle down. He seemed to adjust and now it's like we're back to where we were exactly 10 months ago. He's moody, defiant, and seems angry all the time. When he's not angry, he's just got his headphones in and tunes out the rest of the world, including me. I don't know what's going on and I don't know what to do." Callie Torres was speaking to her nephew's caseworker and was as dejected as the caseworker had ever seen her. It had been a rough 10 months for the "new parent." The caseworker knew she was trying her best but her nephew was exhibiting significant behavior problems that the caseworker had warned Callie about. Warning and actually experiencing, however, were two different stories.

"You're doing great, Callie. Given the circumstances, you are doing great. I can only imagine how challenging this is and yet here you are, you're trying and asking for help. Let's see if we can get some extra support for you. I'll file for respite so you can have some time off from Mateo."

Callie went to interject, taking offense at the idea of wanting a break from her nephew but the caseworker spoke first, "Before you say you don't need a break, every parent needs a break from their child once in a while. It's not a weakness or an indictment. We aren't going to view it as a black mark on your record."

Callie still looked worried so she continued, "Callie, we know this is the best placement for Teo. We just want to try to make the adjustment as smooth as possible and there are things we may be able to do to help with that. Can you take the help we are offering?"

"You're sure this isn't going to come back to hurt me or Teo?" Callie asked as he wrung her hands nervously.

"No, I promise. These visits aren't really about evaluating the placement. We finished that evaluation 6 months into his placement. This is about making sure things stay on track so we continue to follow-up over the next year. Teo has a lot of needs, as would any kid in his situation, so we're just checking on you guys to see how we can help you both."

"I guess respite would be ok."

"Ok let me make a call and get the paperwork started. I'll check in on you guys in a week or so."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Callie."

"Teo? " Melissa, the caseworker called upstairs to her client. "He's probably got his earphones in. I'll just take my leave then. Tell him I'll see him soon."

Callie saw Melissa to the door and closed the door behind her. Letting out a heavy sigh, she turned and leaned against the door, taking deep breaths to steady herself. Once composed she walked up the stairs towards her nephew's room.

"Teo, can I come in?" Callie asked from behind the closed door. Receiving no response, she quietly opened the door to peer in on her nephew. There he was in his "normal" position as of late. Laying flat on his back, eyes open and starting straight up at the ceiling, with headphones in listening to his ipod, so loudly that Callie could hear the lyrics from where she stood.

She approached the bed and shook his sneaker covered foot, "Teo, headphones out. I need to talk to you."

Callie registered that Teo seemed to have upped the volume, causing her to roll her eyes. She swatted his foot and glared at him for his disrespectful behavior. That seemed to get Teo's attention as he returned the roll of eyes and took off his headphones.

"What?" the 8-year-old replied almost caustically.

"Don't you "what?" me Mateo Santos! Try again!"

"Yes, you want to talk to me?" The little boy replied, not without some noticeable attitude.

"Better." Callie replied as she sat down on the bed. 'Pick your battles, Callie' she reiterated to herself. She had more important issues to talk with her nephew about.

"Teo, what's been going on? You've got to talk to me, please? I don't know how to help you when you don't talk to me."

"Nothing's going on."

Running a hand through her hair, Callie was getting frustrated and she hated herself for it. Her nephew had been through hell and back and she felt guilty for getting upset at him. He had been doing so well and then all of a sudden things changed and reverted back to how things were when he first entered her custody. Callie Torres always wanted to be a mother but she wasn't quite ready to be a parent when everything changed 10 months ago. Ten months ago her sister and brother-in-law were returning from a business trip in South America when the airliner they were flying on crashed. There were no survivors among the 176 passengers and 9 crew members onboard. Her beloved sister and her brother-in-law were gone, just like that. Her best friend growing up was gone and she was heartbroken. She didn't know how to cope with the tragedy but her coping and mourning were cast aside as she thought about her nephew and the utter devastation the crash has caused him. In one second, his world was destroyed and his life was changed forever. Aria and Wil were planners, always had been, and had talked to Callie about taking Mateo in the event of some unforeseen and premature tragedy. When Callie agreed, she had no clue the will would actually be needed. She desperately wished it wasn't. But as shell shocked as she was, she immediately flew to Miami, and never left Mateo's side. A few weeks after the funeral, she and Mateo were on their way back to Seattle to start a life they both weren't sure of. They would have to figure it out as they went along. Initially, Mateo was clingy and tearful, never wanting his Aunt Callie to leave his side. The anxiety was almost paralyzing. Then it transitioned to pure anger. He yelled, screamed, broke things. He would tantrum almost like a toddler and Callie had to restrain him to keep him from hurting her or hurting himself. He was that out of control during one of his episodes. Then things seemed to calm down. He seemed to get into a bit of a routine and he started a "new normal", a "new life" with his aunt. He even seemed to find a groove at his new school, making new friends, and going to birthday parties. He even participated in a pen pal program at school with soldiers serving abroad. His "buddy" was "so cool" and someone he really seemed to take to. Callie thought maybe it was therapeutic, having someone to talk to who wasn't his aunt or his grandparents. Plus, Teo was always a military buff, having a fascination with all branches of the military. The excitement he had about his pen pal was one of the few things that brought back the light in his smile. For a little bit there, Teo was starting to resemble the 7-year-old boy he used to be, before life dealt him a shitty hand. Then all of a sudden things changed and it was like the past few months never happened. Callie wasn't sure if it was his parents or something else that was behind it. All she knew was that Teo had been through more than most adults had been through and she desperately wanted to just help him. She just didn't know how.

"Nothing, Teo, really?"

"So you just punched Davis because it was fun?" Callie asked with sarcasm lacing her tone.

"No I punched him because he's stupid."

"Mateo, you can't do things like that." Callie started to tear a bit but did her best to shield him from the sight. She turned her back to him but continued to speak, "I know something is going on and I just want to help you but you have to meet me halfway. Por favor, Teo. I'm trying, I really am. I need you to try to, please."

Turning back around, Callie saw his brown eyes searching his room, a habit he picked up from his mom. It was a cue that Aria was thinking hard about something and for Teo it was the same, he was contemplating his next move.

Sensing an opening, Callie broached the difficult topic, "It is about your mami and papi?"

Teo looked up at his aunt as she slowly sat in front of him, taking his hand in hers. A film came over his beautiful brown eyes and Callie's heart broke a little each time at the sight. "Sort of…" he whispered.

"You can talk to me, Teo…. about anything, you know that right?"

"I know. It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"It's just… my mami and papi died…" Teo struggled to speak as tears ran down his cheeks.

"I know, baby" Callie said as she pulled her nephew to her in an embrace.

He clutched at his aunt's back, almost willing her to never let go, "And I think… I think…" he attempted to continue.

Callie rubbing his back attempting to soothe him as he pressed on, "I think… I think… Tim is dead too. Everyone else is getting their letters from their buddy still. I haven't gotten one in 2 months. They keep telling me that it's coming but I never get one. He wrote me all the time. I think he's dead, Auntie Callie. I think he's dead. Why do the people I love, why do they have to die?"

And with that sobs racked Teo's little body.

"Oh honey, I don't know what's happening with Tim's letters, but we don't know anything. He's probably on some top secret mission and he can't write right now."

Teo shook his head, "I looked… I looked up his unit on the internet. I saw a story about… about an attack. It was around the time the letters stopped, " he said as he continued to cry.

"Ok, shhh, it's ok. We'll find out, ok. We'll find out what happened to Tim. And then… " Callie swallowed a swell of emotion as she continued, "and then, we'll know."

* * *

In an apartment across the country in Baltimore, MD, Arizona Robbins was seated on her living room floor, music quietly playing in the background, as she went through another box of her brother's personal items. After his death in Afghanistan, his personal effects were given to their parents. Arizona's mother and father, a retired Colonel in his own right, had decided it was too difficult a task and asked Arizona to go through them. Arizona barely got through the first box, finding photos of her brother with family and friends. Also in the box, Arizona found personal letters written to her, her mother, and her father- letters that were only meant to be shared if he was gone. Reading Tim's last words to her was immensely difficult but she managed to find some solace, some comfort in them. She held his loving words close to her heart but it did little to numb the indescribable pain she felt. After going through the first box, Arizona was drained emotionally. She was spent and it took her a few weeks to seemingly recover. The second box, thus lay unopened until now. Now, here she was, painstakingly going through the second and last box of her brother's. She first came upon a tablet of drawings. Her brother, had doodled on everything as a kid, and his doodles transformed into works of art in later life. His drawings were amazing and it seemed he drew a lot while he was abroad. It was likely a means of coping for him, a means of distraction Arizona thought. She went through each one, tracing the lines with her fingers, getting choked up as she imagined her brother drawing and at peace in those moments. She also found notebooks, some filled with random notes and reminders to do things. She founds books he must have currently been in the process of reading. She opened up "Catcher in the Rye" which she knew to be his favorite book and one she knew he read over and over. As she opened up the front cover, she noticed stationary paper folded over. It looked to be similar to those written to her and her parents given a drawn emblem of angel wings in the corner.

_Dear Mateo,_

_If you are reading this, then it must mean that something happened to me and I won't be around to write you anymore. I'm so sorry buddy. This is not what I wanted to happen but sometimes when we go on those secret missions to get the bad guys, we end up getting hurt. I'm really sorry. I have loved being your penpal. You have been the best little buddy that a guy could ask for. In fact, I'll tell you a little secret. Remember how I told you I have a sister? Well, I love my sister very much. She's awesome and the best sister I could ever have but I secretly always wanted to have a little brother too. And guess what? I got my wish when I got paired up with you. You've been like a little brother to me the past few months and I've loved every minute of it. Your letters were something I always looked forward to and no matter what was happening your letters always put a smile on my face. I will miss you very much, Teo. And I'm so sorry that I had to go. I know you're still having a tough time since your mom and dad died and I hate that I had to leave you too, but I promise you something. I promise that I will look after you just like your mom and dad are. Instead of two angels, you will have three. I will always be there for you. If you ever need to talk, just look up into the sky and know that I will hear you. You are a very special boy, Teo. You have so much to offer the world and I can't wait to see it all from heaven. I love you, Little Man. Take care of yourself and your Aunt Callie. She needs you just as much as you need her. So remember, don't be too hard on her, she's finding her way, just like you._

_Love you lots, Little Man. Love you lots._

_Your big brother, Tim Robbins._

Arizona cried as she read the letter from her brother to this young boy. She wondered if this Teo even knew what had happened to Tim. Maybe he was still waiting for a letter? She wasn't sure how the whole penpal thing worked. Knowing how special this boy was to Tim from his letter, Arizona scoured the box for more information about Teo. She came across a bundle of letters, wrapped in a rubber band, all from one Mateo Santos in Seattle, Washington. Holding the bundle of older letters in one hand and the letter Tim had written to Mateo in the other, she knew what she had to do. It was one last thing she could do for her brother, her best friend. Grabbing her laptop off the coffee table, she logged on to expedia searching for flights from Baltimore to Seattle.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As always, reviews and constructive criticism are most welcome. Let me know if you guys are liking this story as it moves along. I'd really appreciate it. This way I get a feel for knowing if it's worth the effort or if I'm just barking up a wrong tree.  
**

**I own nothing related to Grey's Anatomy, Callie or Arizona. If I did, no other characters on the show would get screen time. **

* * *

Teo sat at the kitchen counter munching on his cereal while Callie frantically attempted to get them ready to head out the door.

"Teo, do you have your schoolbooks in your bookbag?"

"Why, I'm suspended, remember?" Teo responded with his ever present attitude.

"Oh no! Just because you are suspended does not mean you are going to goof off all day. You are going to hang out in the doctor's lounge but if you don't have schoolwork then I'll get you some worksheets to do. Your choice."

"Fine," he huffed and began packing his books into his bookbag. He shoved them in one after the other while he mumbled some unpleasant things to himself. Callie only made out the words, stupid, hate and no fair. She would have ignored the scene had Teo not started to angrily wipe at his eyes with his sleeves. Callie approached him from behind and reached out to squeeze his shoulder.

Teo turned around with his red eyes and red blotches on his cheeks and Callie opened her arms to him but he balked.

The rejection stung but she knew he was a mess of emotions… anger, hurt, fear. She wanted to reassure him about Tim but she, herself, didn't know what was the reason behind the letters stopping. She desperately hoped it wasn't what Teo feared most.

"Teo, I know you're worried about Tim and…." Her statement was broken off by a loud and resounding knock at the front door. When she turned back from the door to ask Teo to give her a minute, he quickly had already put his headphones on. Callie was really beginning to hate those things. She secretly wondered what would happen if they met a not so good fate with the trash compactor. She smirked a bit at the thought as she opened the front door.

"Erica."

"Hey baby," Erica greeted her with a chaste kiss and a coffee. Erica and Callie had been dating for a few months before Teo moved in. For Teo, it was a confusing situation at first because he had previously thought his aunt was married… to a man. It took a few hours over a pizza and some wine for Callie for the explanation to sink in for Teo. His Auntie Callie liked men, so much that she married one, George. His Auntie Callie, however, also liked women and was now dating a woman named Erica after she and George got a divorce. When Callie asked if Teo had any questions about her dating women, he responded with "Is she nice?" God, Callie loved the innocence of children. To them the world was simple and religion, politics, and just plain ignorance had no place in their worldview. It was like telling Teo she liked fruits and veggies but was into veggies right now. She thought she loved her nephew even more in that moment, if possible.

While the explanation had been smooth, Teo's relationship with Erica was anything but. Erica was not a "kid person." She didn't quite know how to interact with him. Their interactions were always strained. Callie had hoped it would change over time but the awkwardness and uneasiness had not abated. She was grateful to Erica for supporting her in taking Teo in but support only went so far. She wanted her to really try to build a relationship with Teo but she seemed disinterested. And if possible, Teo seemed even more disinterested.

"This is a pleasant surprise," Callie said as she grinned and pressed a kiss to Erica's cheek in gratitude for her daily morning caffeine fix.

"Well, I haven't gotten to see much of you lately because of the rugrat so I thought I would sneak in a visit while he was off at school. A few minutes alone before we need to get to the hospital wouldn't hurt, would it?" Erica replied with a little lustful smirk.

Callie opened the door wider to allow Erica a fuller view of the apartment, which included one Mateo Santos.

"What? Shouldn't he be at school, Callie?"

"He got suspended. He has to come to the hospital with me."

"Callie, seriously? That's like the 10th time in the last month!"

Callie glared at her and closed the door behind her as she stepped them both out into the entryway. "Wow, way to exaggerate there Erica. And seriously, he's right there. I don't want you talking about him like he's some troublemaker."

"Oh please, he has his earphones on. He always has those stupid things on. He never hears anything, including the things you ask him to do. Like behave at school!" Erica said with an exasperated tone. She tried a different tactic and calmed her tone. "Look, I know he's your nephew and he's been through a lot but there has to be a line. He can't keep doing this, Callie."

"Don't you think I know that? I'm trying but he has been through a lot. More than either one of us can truly comprehend. So I need to be patient with him. And please, I just need you to be patient with us too!"

Erica could sense the growing frustration coming from her girlfriend so she backed off. She really hated the conflict Teo seemed to start between them but Teo was part of the package and she wanted Callie. She would have to learn to tolerate him, which was difficult because he didn't like her and vice versa.

"Alright, alright. Sorry. I'll be more patient."

"Thank you. Now, do you want to come in while I get a few more things together? Then we can be on our way?" asked Callie as she opened the door.

Reluctantly agreeing, Erica walked into Callie's home and went to sit next to Teo at the counter.

"Hey Rugrat."

Teo looked to the blonde woman next to him and brought his headphones down off his head, "My name is Mateo not Rugrat."

Erica rolled her eyes at the attitude given. "Alright Teo…"

Teo glared at her, "I mean Mateo." Teo had made it clear to her that only family and friends got to call him Teo and given the way she had treated him at times, she was most definitely not either of those, so Erica called him Mateo.

"What did you do to land yourself in suspension now?"

"I punched Davis."

"Why on earth would you punch another kid?"

"Because he said my buddy didn't like me anymore so that's why he stopped writing me. I haven't gotten a letter in 2 months," he responded quietly.

"Seriously, Mateo! Your buddy is a soldier, serving his country. He has an important job to do. Don't you think he might be a little busy and can't write you all the time? Not all adults can drop what they're doing and attend to you. Your Aunt Callie included. You need to realize that." Erica's increasing frustration and anger over Callie's shift in priorities was coming out and Teo was the unfortunate target of her ire.

"Tim liked writing me!" Teo began to yell. "He said he would write me every week, every other week at least. You don't know what you're talking about." Teo's face was beat red, a feat for him considering he had an olive complexion and his veins in his arms and neck were visible and pulsating, a sure fire sign he was about to blow.

Callie rushed out from her bedroom on the first floor of her townhouse style apartment when she heard the increase in volume. "What is going on here?" she looked from Erica to Teo and back for a response.

Teo furiously wiped at his eyes, grabbed his backpack and stomped toward the front door. "I'll wait at the curb," he yelled behind him as he slammed the door on his way out.

"Erica, what the hell happened?"

"I was trying to talk to him about what happened at school… about his behavior."

"Wh- why would you do that? It's not your place. That's my job!"

"I was trying to help! He's so stubborn and rude and…"

"Stop it right there. I suggest you stop now before you really say something you will regret."

Erica seeing how serious Callie was, "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. It's just I'm trying to help you and help him and he makes it so hard."

"He's a kid, Erica! A kid! You are the adult."

"Yeah, ok sorry" she reluctantly agreed. "Ill try harder." Erica gave Callie her best smile and reached out to take Callie's hand in hers. "I really will, promise."

"Ok." Callie replied. Though she really wasn't sure she wanted her to anymore.

* * *

After a long day at the hospital, Callie and Teo trudged their way back to their home across the street. As much as it was a long day, it was a fairly good day. Teo worked diligently on his schoolwork in the lounge. He was still rather quiet and withdrawn, not even really acknowledging some of Callie's co-workers with anything but a head bob and forced half-smile but at least he wasn't having all out tantrums. On better days past, if Teo was at the hospital, you would find him in the lounge chatting with Callie's co-workers about the origins of the Transformers or the importance of Batman in the sphere of superheroes. It was moments like that, when Teo could just forget for a little bit, be a kid, and didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders, that Callie relished the most. Those moments, however, were few and far between these days. Even Mark Sloan and Alex Karev, who always seemed to manage to break Teo's icy façade, had difficulty getting him to smile the last two months.

As Callie and Teo turned the block towards their home, Callie noticed a blonde woman sitting on the steps in front of their home. Even from the distance Callie knew this person was a stranger and she was concerned that maybe she was with child services. She quickened her pace and she and Teo stopped just short of the steps.

Arizona looked up from where she was sitting and she was stunned at the sight before her. There standing but a few steps from her was perhaps the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Wearing dark denim jeans that hugged this woman's curves, a purple v-neck shirt that showed off just enough cleavage to attract anyone's eyes, and a black leather jacket which topped off her sexy look, was a goddess. She had dark black hair with a mix of waves and curls that fell a few inches below her shoulders. She had the most expressive and beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen and the most plump and delicious lips she had laid eyes on. Arizona was pretty sure her jaw was hanging open making her look like an idiot. Even worse someone probably needed to wipe the drool from her mouth and get a defribrilator for her heart which had completely and utterly stopped at the sight of this woman. 'Words Arizona, speak' she said to herself. 'You came here to do a job.'

Callie was equally stunned by the beauty before her. The blonde woman was exquisite. In the shadow of the moonlight the woman almost looked ethereal, almost too good to be true. She wore black skinny jeans with black knee high boots, complemented by a royal blue off the shoulder sweater that highlighted the bluest eyes Callie had ever seen. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, though some hair fell around her face, showing off a beautiful neck that seemed to be blessed with silky smooth skin. Callie was mesmerized.

Teo for his part did little to hide his amusement at the scene in front of him. He tugged a bit on his auntie's hand to get her attention. When she looked down at him, he smirked and said "It's not polite to stare, Auntie Callie."

Callie blushed hard at the call out from her nephew. "I wasn't staring. I was trying to figure out if I knew her from somewhere she covered, rather smoothly she thought."

"Um… can I help you?"

Arizona, snapping out of her reverie of her and this woman joined at the lips, recovered her ability to speak. "Um… yeah… sorry… I'm looking for Mateo Santos."

"I'm Mateo Santos," Teo spoke up. It was the first time he got a good look at the woman before him. She looked eerily familiar. He eyed her for a minute. Arizona seeming to sense that he was trying to place her, did not interrupt. His eyes almost bugged out of his head and he dropped his backback. Frantically searching in it, he pulled out an envelope. As he opened it, Callie asked "Mateo do you know this woman?" Teo paid her no mind, he unfolded the papers and pulled from them a photo, a photo of the man he affectionately called his "buddy." He looked at it and then looked up at the woman in front of him.

"You look just like Tim."

Arizona blew out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Trying to keep it together, she knelt down in front of the beautiful little boy in front of her. She understood from Tim's letter that he at most was a 7 or 8-year-old boy but he looked to be about the size and stature of a 6-year-old. He was thin and wiry, wearing clothes that seemed a bit big on him. He had brown hair that alternated in shades between dark brown and light brown towards the top. His hair was long, some of it falling over his eyes as he kept trying to push the strands away. He had a mole just to the right of his mouth and a more subtle one just under his right eye. He was a handsome little guy and Arizona knew he was going to grow into a heartbreaker in his later years. What she was drawn to most, however, were his dark brown eyes, dark brown eyes that were looking at her with an utter hopefulness.

"Mateo, my name is Arizona…"

"Arizona! Yeah Arizona. You're Tim's sister! Is he here too?" The little boy excitedly said as he looked around and behind Arizona.

Arizona looked up at the woman with Mateo and an understanding came over her.

Callie spoke up, "Teo why don't we go inside?"

"No! I want to see Tim!"

"Teo…"

The little boy looked up at his auntie and then at Arizona in front of him. He'd seen these looks before. He'd seen them when his grandparents and his auntie told him his parents weren't coming back.

"No! No!"

Callie knelt down to hold him but he pushed against her.

"No! He's not dead. He's not." He turned to the woman who looked like his buddy, "Please Arizona. Please!"

Arizona reached out and gently ran the back of her hand along his cheek. "Let's go inside Little Man, Ok?" She hoped using the term of endearment Tim used in his letters to Teo would somehow soothe him.

Teo knew the lack of denial was as good as an affirmation. His body seemed to go limp as the reality of the situation settled over him. Callie scooped him up, carried him like she used to as a toddler and held him close as she walked up the stairs, signaling to Arizona with her head to accompany them. Arizona followed, listening to the whimpers of a little boy with a broken heart, "No Auntie Callie, please no."

Arizona looked up at the sky as she too wished the answer was "no."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is Mateo-less, though he gets talked about. Not sure how I feel about this one. Feedback is always welcome. **

Arizona took in the first floor of Callie's and Mateo's home. It didn't scream kids. It was dark and frowny with only a few clues that a child lived there… the Transformers DVDs sprawled out on the coffee table, the soccer ball behind the closed front door, the Nintendo DS and games on the kitchen counter. Pictures of Mateo, and some pictures of him and who Arizona concluded must have been his parents, littered the refrigerator. Mateo's face in them so different from what Arizona had seen. He was happy. There was a lightness to him, a carefree-like existence. The eyes and face of the little boy Arizona encountered just a bit ago were nothing like what was seen in the pictures. He had lost his parents and you could see it in his features. And she, with her revelation about Tim, had caused that face to crumple again and those eyes to again overflow with tears. After Arizona and Callie were unable to tell Mateo that Tim was ok, he had broken down outside. He continued to beg his aunt to tell him something other than the truth about Tim's fate, sobbing as he clearly understood Tim's fate. Callie carried him straight to his bedroom and closed the door, though Arizona could hear his sobs as they echoed through the house. Arizona closed her eyes attempting to blink back the tears that threatened to fall as she thought about Mateo and her own loss, her brother.

"That one right there, with him sitting in the tree in profile, that's my favorite" came a voice from the kitchen entrance. Callie was leaning against the entryway with a somber look on her face. Arizona glanced back to the picture mentioned as Callie continued. "He looks like he's pondering the wonders of the universe. He gets like that sometimes. He's like an old soul I think."

Arizona turned to look back at Callie unclear of what to do so she let her continue.

"H… he… he feels more, if that makes sense. He feels deeply. All the emotions or feelings a person experiences, I think he experiences them more deeply." Callie paused to collect her breath as she looked at the floor. "He was devastated when his parents died. He walked around with a huge cloud just hanging over him. It wasn't until Tim, his first letter from Tim, that he started to brighten again. He was finally excited about something again. He talked about Tim all the time. I think… after his father died… I think Teo needed another male figure in his life and Tim became that even from afar. He was like his very own personal superhero or something."

Arizona smiled at the thought. Her brother was always really good with kids. She had no doubt he was good for Mateo. But she was brought out of her reverie by Callie's next words, "Which is why, what you need to tell him, will crush him. He already knows but to hear the words from you will still crush him."

"I know… I know the feeling," Arizona whispered.

Callie recognized the hurt in her guest's tone. " I'm so sorry. I know this must be hard for you." Her eyes met Arizona's and for a few seconds she just took those pools of blue in. She could so easily get lost in them she thought. Realizing she was staring without offering any words, she quickly averted her gaze, feeling a significant sensation she would describe as butterflies.

Callie, flustered, spoke, " Crap, I'm doing this all wrong. I haven't even introduced myself or offered you a drink or anything. I'm really sorry." She stepped forward to extend her hand to Arizona. "I'm Callie, Mateo's aunt. His mother, Aria, is…was my sister. When she and her husband died… " She broke off to collect her breath, "I'm his guardian."

Arizona reached to meet Callie's gesture and interlocked their hands in a handshake. Both women felt a jolt of electricity. "Arizona… Robbins. Tim's sister." They both continued to stare at one another, something that was beginning a habit it seemed. When Arizona realized they were still holding hands, she dropped her hand quickly and reached into her back pocket to cover her movement. "I found this…" pulling Tim's letter to Teo out and showing it to Callie "…when I was going through Tim's things. I wasn't sure if Mateo knew what had happened and this letter was meant for him. I had to come out here and give it to him myself. I'm sorry if I intruded, but I hope you can understand why I had to do this."

Callie, still reeling a bit from holding Arizona's hand, responded, "Um, yeah, I mean you're not intruding. I mean, you would never be an intrusion." Callie took in a deep breath to stop her rambling.

Composing herself, she began again, "I mean, I understand and I'm grateful. He was wondering about Tim and I didn't know where to start… where to begin in trying to find out what happened."

"I went to his school first," Arizona replied. "They told me to leave the letter with them and they would give it to him but I… I couldn't do that. I needed to do this myself. The school secretary took pity on me, I guess, and told me where you lived. I think she could tell I was desperate. I'm really sorry I ambushed you guys though. I just needed to meet Mateo myself and give him the letter." Arizona almost looked pleadingly at Callie, willing her not to be angry.

Wanting to reassure her, "No, Arizona, it's completely fine. I'm glad you're here. I'm just sorry that Teo sort of knocked himself out with all his crying. It took a lot of out him and he just fell asleep after he finally calmed down."

"Oh… umm… well I can come back tomorrow. I should go." Arizona turned to leave.

"No" Callie nearly yelled, having no idea where that burst of energy and exclamation came from. "I mean you don't have to. I was going to make Teo and myself some dinner. He won't be joining us but I'm happy to make you a plate."

Touched by the gesture and overwhelmed by a desire, albeit somewhat confusing, to be in this woman's presence, she agreed. Arizona had never reacted this strongly to another woman after such a short period before. It was both exciting and unsettling."That'd be great. Thank you, Callie."

Callie finally saw a genuine smile from her guest and she inaudibly gasped. That smile could brighten a room she thought to herself. She returned the breathtaking smile with one of her own and turned to begin her preparations for dinner.

Arizona made herself comfortable at the counter attempting not to follow Callie's every movement with her eyes. She fiddled with her phone sneaking glances at Callie every few seconds.

'This woman is absolutely gorgeous.' Arizona thought before catching herself. 'Oh my god, I'm here to a good thing for my brother and now I'm checking out Tim's penpal's aunt. Just great. I don't even know if she is into girls and she lives in Seattle and is raising her nephew… a kid. I am so not raising kids… and… oh god, what am I even doing thinking about this? What is wrong with me? I came here to do a job. One day more and then I'll be back on a plane to Baltimore. That's it.' Arizona excused herself to the bathroom to get a hold of herself. 'When I get back in there, dinner, small talk and then I'll take my leave and see Mateo tomorrow. Ok, ready, set go.'

While Arizona was in the bathroom, Callie's mind couldn't help but wander to the blonde. She was touched by her kindness and generosity in coming here to see Teo. She had a good heart she thought. 'Great, on top of hot as hell, she is a good person too.' Callie mentally slapped herself. 'And I'm involved… with Erica. It's just an attraction. After all, I'm human. I mean I'm not blind. She is clearly beautiful. I'm just being nice,' Callie tried to rationalize. Despite her thoughts, Callie recognized she was interested in finding out more about this woman. She wasn't sure Arizona was into girls but she got a sense of some mutual attraction when their hands touched. She brushed it off, choosing to interpret her interest in Arizona as finding out more about the man whom had connected so well with Teo. Just an evening of dinner and conversation, Arizona would see Teo tomorrow, and the blonde would be out of their life just as quickly as she had entered it.

* * *

"That's priceless!" Callie laughed loudly. Arizona was regaling her with stories of a younger Arizona who was a bit of a monster as a resident. They had spent the past several hours talking and finding out more about one another. And the more they talked, the more fascinated they grew with the other.

Callie learned that Arizona loved to travel, loved the outdoors, had an odd fondness for all things Disney and Pixar, and an even odder obsession with using the words "yay" and "awesome." She had a bit of the Peter Pan syndrome, Callie thought. 'She's a child in an adult's body… a very attractive adult body.' Her love of childlike things, though, must have helped her with her job. Arizona was a pediatric surgeon at Johns Hopkins. She loved her job and was in line to be the next department head. She was passionate about global health initiatives and had been investigating some potential opportunities that could take her and her "awesome surgical skills" abroad. Callie thought it might have been Arizona's version of fulfilling a duty to serve, something that her family seemed to really believe in. Arizona had grown up as a military brat. As a result, she moved a lot as a kid so she and her brother were siblings but also the best of friends. He had been deployed to Afghanistan when he was killed in combat. That was the extent of what Arizona revealed about her brother. Understandably, her tone and mood noticeably changed when the conversation shifted from her life to her brother's. Callie hated seeing the sadness come over the blonde and quickly shifted the conversation back to medicine and Arizona's history in medicine.

Arizona loved the sound of Callie's laugh and the way her smile broadened and her head was thrown back in amusement. Everything about Callie seemed to captivate Arizona, including everything she revealed during the course of their conversation that evening. Arizona learned that Callie was an orthopedic surgeon at Seattle Grace Mercy West with a burgeoning research program in cartilage breakthroughs. She grew up in Miami, FL and her family was relatively wealthy. She attended prestigious private academies for the duration of her childhood and adolescent schooling and then moved on to study at the University of Miami. She joined the PeaceCorp after graduation and was sent to Botswana. It was her time in Botswana that made her decide on a career in medicine. She was good friends with her colleagues and considered many of them family. It made living 3000+ miles from her immediate family more manageable. She was close with her father and had a strained relationship with her mother, though it wasn't made clear why. Her sister, Aria, was younger than Callie by 2 years and was her best friend. When Aria became pregnant with Mateo, she and Will, Mateo's father, married shortly thereafter. Callie had contemplated relocating back to Miami to be more involved in her soon-to-be-born nephew's life but Aria had talked her out of it, citing her amazing career in Seattle where she basically operated as department head as a resident. So Callie remained in Seattle but even from afar, however, she had tried to have as active a role in Mateo's life as the distance would allow. So Callie was both aunt and godmother to Mateo. She was now figuring out how to be a parent on top of her other roles. Arizona found Callie's willingness to take in her nephew without hesitation or reluctance very honorable and found Callie to be amazing.

"So what's Mateo like?" Arizona asked somewhat timidly. "If you don't mind me asking? My brother seemed incredibly fond of him. I'm just wondering a bit more about what made them connect so well."

Callie cocked her head to the side as she took in Arizona's question.

"Well… he's a really smart kid… almost too smart for his own good. He was in the talented and gifted program at his school in Miami but we're giving him the rest of this year to adjust before he starts the TAG program here. He's also really sweet and sensitive like I mentioned earlier. So he's really good at reading people, like scary good."

"That's a good thing."

"It is and it isn't. I mean if he reads people so well, you'd think he'd connect with people easily but he doesn't. There's like a barrier he puts up. Only few get past it, like his parents a- an- and… Tim. I'm still working at it. It's harder now with everything that's happened. He's like fortified those barriers with steel and concrete."

Tears seemed to cloud Callie's eyes as she continued, "I try to connect with him but those barriers… you can't penetrate them. Because of that I can't even read him half the time, but he sure can read me. I can't hide things from Teo. He picks up on everything, so I have to be careful of reigning in my feelings and emotions."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I mean if my mood is low or I'm feeling sad or angry or whatever, he picks up on it and if affects his mood, I think. I get grumpy sometimes and I never had to worry about it bringing people down before but with Teo I have to worry about it."

"Oh, I get it now," Arizona responded as the explanation sunk in.

Arizona noticed as a small smile came over the woman in front of her. "What is it? What brought that smile to your face?"

"I was just thinking… Teo… he calls me a grump. He gets this annoyed look on his face and he calls me a grump. I know it's not really funny but the look he gets when he says it… I can't help but smile. It's both adorable and frustrating," she chuckled.

"I know what you mean. It's like parents who try so hard to stifle their laugh when their kid does something they don't approve of but yet find so utterly amusing. It's totally normal."

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely! Remember I work with kids all day so I know these things."

Callie's smile was broad across her face, "I'll take that as gospel then."

"You should. I'm awesome!" the blonde replied with enthusiasm. "And you're a grump," she quietly whispered, breaking out in laughter.

Callie expressed mocked indignation and then joined in on the laughter.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask, is Mateo seven or eight because I was confused when I went to his school. I didn't think he would be in 3rd grade yet."

"He just turned 8. He skipped kindergarten because he was so advanced." Callie shook her head in amusement. "I know, I know he just turned 8, is about to finish 3rd grade and yet he looks like he's all of 6?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Arizona said as she smiled over at her host.

"Well, he was a micro preemie actually. He was born at 26 weeks and survived and beat the odds stacked against him. He should've probably been delayed in some areas but he actually excelled at everything… well everything except growing. He's like in the 3rd percentile in height and weight for his age. "

"Really? I mean he looks pretty small in stature but 3rd percentile?"

"Yep, he's tiny. Wears a size 6, even a 5-6 at times! I have to cut the tags out of his clothes so he doesn't know," Callie chuckled. Gosh did Arizona love that laugh of hers.

"Hmm, that's definitely a secret you probably want to keep huh? I'll try my best not to spill it," Arizona winked at Callie over her glass she lifted to sip from.

'Is she flirting with me,' Callie asked herself. A blush rose over her cheeks as she pondered the thought. 'Innocent flirting never hurt anyone' she thought.

"Oh, do I need to bribe you?" Callie flirted back.

Suddenly Arizona felt a little warm. "Umm… uh… I…Well…." This was new, she was usually bursting with confidence and here she was stuttering like a nervous mess. Recovering a bit, Arizona flashed Callie her best sneaky smirk, "Well it couldn't hurt?"

Callie swallowed heavily, not expecting the flirty retort. Arizona seemed to match her nervousness, unsure of where her flirty comments were coming from and why she wasn't getting them to stop. They quickly changed the subject back to medicine, and both welcomed the distraction.

* * *

It was nearly four hours later and both women barely noticed. Their conversation just flowed. They spoke with each other with such ease that you would have thought they were friends catching up on each other's lives rather than two strangers brought together by the strangest and most tragic of circumstances. Though they stayed away from revealing too much or disclosing the most personal of details, there was still a distinct comfort they felt with one another. Somewhere along the evening, they had progressed from water to wine. As Arizona finished her second glass, she realized that she needed to stop if she was to make it to a hotel safely. She glanced at her watch, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was so late. I should get going."

Knowing Arizona had gone straight to Mateo's school from the airport and then directly to Callie's place and worried about her guest navigating a city she was unfamiliar with at a late hour in order to find a hotel, Callie rambled out an idea she had. "W-well, umm… well if you wanted, I mean you surely don't have to. I know you just met me and Mateo but I'm not dangerous. I mean I have an 8-year-old in the next room. And well it's late… relatively late to be out driving in a city you don't know well. And wine… I mean you just had wine. If you want… if you think it would be easier… you c-ca-could stay here tonight? I mean on the couch. You could stay here tonight on the couch?"

Callie was met with silence. Arizona was worrying her teeth with her lips. Callie found it both adorable and anxiety provoking. Had she said too much, again?

In actuality, Arizona was excited by the offer. She was nervous as hell too. She knew she didn't want to leave yet. She just wasn't sure she should stay over. Glancing up at Callie and seeing the uncertainty and worry on her face, she attempted to calm her.

"Callie, it is so very generous of you to offer. But…"

Callie interrupted, "No buts. It's the least I can do. You came all the way over here for Mateo. That means a lot to me. So please, let us do this for you. Stay tonight…. as our guest. You want to talk to Mateo tomorrow morning anyways. This will be more convenient."

"Callie, are you sure?"

"Absolutely!" she nervously laughed. She was sure alright, but she had butterflies the size of bats flying around in her stomach. Knowing that was not the most assured sounding response, Callie looked directly into Arizona's eyes and quietly pleaded, "Please."

"Only if you're sure?"

"I'm sure."

As Callie moved to get the couch ready for Arizona, she thought about how the morning with Mateo would go. "I'm off tomorrow so we can both sit Mateo down and explain to him what's happened. It won't be easy but I think Tim's letter will help. An-and we can help him together."

"Ok… together," Arizona repeated as Callie moved out of earshot to grab extra pillows and a blanket.

**A/N 2: Next update may take a bit. I have some work deadlines that are fast approaching so bear with me please. Next up, Mateo, Arizona and Callie. And then maybe a little Mateo and Arizona alone. Hmm.. wonder if that will go well? **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So I thought I would be a bit more delayed in posting this but I found some time... call it procrastination in completing all of my other responsibilities ;) I want to thank everyone who has reviewed or followed this story, also those who have put it on alert. I am incredibly grateful. Please keep the reviews coming. I'm open to any and all constructive criticism about this story or about my writing in general. I know the Callie/Arizona stuff is moving a bit more slowly that you might like or be used to but it's coming. Their relationship will build as Arizona's and Mateo's relationship builds.**

**I don't own Grey's Anatomy or it's characters, although I wish I did because I'd spin off Callie and Arizona and they'd have a show all of their own. All things Grey's are owned by one Shonda Rhimes and Shondaland. **

* * *

Arizona stared at the ceiling and reflected on the last 36 whirlwind hours. She was trying to figure out how everything led to her current position- sleeping, well not exactly sleeping but meaning to be sleeping on a virtual stranger's couch in Seattle… a very beautiful stranger… a very beautiful stranger with a little boy who shared a link to her beloved brother. It was all a bit surreal and as quickly as she had ended up here, she would be leaving just as quickly to resume her life in Baltimore. Her life… a life that seemed to be at a standstill of sorts. After Tim died, Arizona had barely taken any time off. She took a day to attend her brother's funeral and was back to work immediately after. To those who knew her, it wasn't surprising. Arizona preferred to keep busy, stay distracted. She didn't talk about her feelings, she didn't process them out loud. She internalized them and kept moving. She had to keep moving because if she didn't, if she had to stop, she was sure to be overcome with grief, with tears and once the tears started, she wasn't sure they would stop. So Arizona kept going, thinking it was what she had to do to get through the death of her brother and her very best friend. She barely slept. She functioned in a daze, as if in a fog. She visited her parents but never for long because their grief was bound to elicit her own. She checked in with friends but always seemed distracted during social outings, choosing then to cut the evenings short. She went to work, operated like the superstar surgeon she was but there was a light missing from her. She wasn't the perky peds surgeon her kids and her co-workers had come to love. Her chief-of-surgery and good friend became concerned. She had noticed Arizona throwing herself into her work as a means to deal with her grief. She wasn't sure she was even sleeping on her off hours making Arizona a bit of a wildcard in the OR, so she asked Arizona, no ordered Arizona to take time off. The bereavement Arizona never took two months ago, she finally took. Her chief and friend's instructions to her with her time off… find a way to live again.

The prevailing thought amongst those closest to Arizona was that Arizona was existing but she wasn't living. Arizona frankly rolled her eyes at the idea. What was that even supposed to mean, she thought. Arizona's life would never be the same without Tim and frankly she thought she was doing a decent job coping or living as her friends and family would say. She was doing everything she was supposed to be doing, so in her mind, she was living. Anyone who knew her, though, would argue otherwise. So Arizona was supposed to find a way to "live." She scoffed at the notion. She would take her few bereavement days off and then the few Family and Medical Leave days her boss had tacked on after that off and then return to work. Nothing would have changed because nothing needed to change in her opinion but maybe her co-workers would think they had. She would resume her life shortly and as she thought about it, sleep finally claimed her.

Arizona awoke to the sound of movement in the kitchen. She heard the telltale sign of a barstool moving across the kitchen floor. She sat up and nearly started moving towards the direction of the sound when she recalled who she would likely encounter in there- Callie. She quickly worked her fingers threw her hair and adjusted her nightclothes, shorts and her brother's favorite t-shirt- a New York Yankees vintage ringer tee- and headed towards the kitchen, mumbling to herself about her attempt at impressing Callie. She walked into the kitchen but instead of finding Callie, she found the 8-year-old who had captured her brother's heart sitting with his shoulders sagged at the kitchen island. He had the headphones Arizona noticed around his neck yesterday on and he seemed uninterested in company. Arizona was about to turn to leave when the boy must have sensed her presence and turned to look over his shoulder at her. His eyebrow furrowed in confusion and he seemed quite surprised to see her.

Arizona stared back at the seemingly stunned little boy and attempted a light greeting, "G'Morning Mateo."

Mateo lowered his headphones to his neck. "Why are you still here?" came the almost icy reply from the 8-year-old.

"I- I…" Arizona stalled. She wanted to tell him about Tim's letter but she wasn't sure she should without Callie. "I was hoping to talk to you a little more."

"No. No, I don't want to talk. I already knew. Tim promised he would never stop writing me. He promised I would have a letter almost every week and then they stopped. I don't need you to tell me. I knew and then you came and you looked at me like abuelo and abuela looked at me when my mami and papi died. I knew and now I really know, ok?" Mateo said with such emotion. It was clear that he didn't want to hear the words. He knew Tim's fate. He knew he would never hear from him again, save but for the last letter he knew nothing about. The last letter that she knew Mateo would want.

Arizona slowly and cautiously approached the boy. "I know, Mateo. It's just…I have… I need…"

Callie who had awoken right around the time Arizona had and had made her way towards the kitchen door, had been listening in since the conversation began. "Teo, Arizona has something to give you…. Something from Tim," Callie announced her presence and took a few steps into the kitchen, standing shoulder to shoulder with Arizona. "It's something Tim wanted you to have," Callie continued as her voice broke off towards the end.

Teo straightened up at the pronouncement. He seemed surprised, excited, nervous, and sad all at the same time. His eyes searched the room as per usual when he was contemplating his options, finally landing on the two women in front of him. His eyes glanced from Callie to Arizona and back "Wh-what is it?" he directed towards them.

Arizona looked to Callie and was comforted by the look upon her face. She gave her an encouraging nod too. Arizona redirected her focus back on Mateo. "It's a letter, Mateo." She approached him closely and sensing no opposition, took the seat next to him. "Tim…" Arizona's voice caught with emotion before she cleared her throat, focusing on getting through this for the boy next to her, "Tim, his job, what he was doing was dangerous and terrifying, and brave. He was serving his country. He risked his life every day to make it possible for you and I, for your aunt and for everyone else in this country to sleep safely in our beds."

"He was a soldier. He was a hero," came the little voice next to her.

Arizona looked into his big, brown eyes which held a film of tears, "Yes, yes he was. He is."

"And because he did this heroic job, he knew something bad could happen one day. And just in case that bad thing were to happen, he wanted the people he loved to know he loved them. He wanted them to have one last message from him. He wrote letters that were to be delivered in case something bad happened to him and we wouldn't see him again, in case he died."

"Letters?"

"Yes, letters, just like the ones you wrote to each other. He left one for our dad, our mom." Arizona paused to collect herself as she felt the emotion pouring over, "One for me, and… and… one for you."

With that, the dam that was holding Teo's tears at bay flowed freely from his eyes. "You have one for me." It was a statement not a question, a statement laced with both shock and reverence. "He thought of me."

Seeing the little boy's tears, broke Callie's restraint. She cradled Teo into her body in a side hug, tears of her own falling from her eyes.

Arizona was on the verge of losing her composure but she blinked back tears and swallowed the bubbling emotion about to burst from her throat. "I think… I think he thought about you a lot, Mateo. I think the letter shows that."

"Can, can I have it now?" Mateo questioned.

"Of course," Arizona replied. She quickly left to retrieve the letter from her bag in the living room and was back in the kitchen in a split second. "Here you go."

Mateo ran his fingers over the paper and then traced over the angel emblem, seemingly trying to commit it to memory. He looked up at his aunt and then over at Arizona, "Can I read it another time? I'm not sure I want to read it now."

Callie leaned down to kiss his head and them comfortingly stroking his hair, "You can do anything you want, Teo. You read it whenever you're ready."

He looked to Arizona for reassurance, "Read it whenever you want," she reiterated.

"Thank you for bringing this to me."

"You're welcome, Mateo." She then continued, "Thank you for being a good friend to my brother."

He returned her kind words with the kindest smile.

"So Teo, what do you say to taking Arizona out for a nice breakfast as a thank you for bringing you this letter?" Callie asked as she sent Arizona one of her breathtaking smiles.

This woman could seriously make Arizona swoon, she thought.

"Could we go someplace that has French Toast?" Teo asked in return.

Callie laughed, "I'm sure that can be arranged." She looked to Arizona for a response and quickly scolded herself for being too presumptuous.

"Oh god, here I am doing it all wrong again. I didn't even ask what your travel plans are or if that would fit in with your schedule. Speaking of, how long are you in town for?" Callie secretly hoped it was for a few days at least.

"Well, I… I was… I mean…" Arizona had planned to leave that day. The two people in front of her, however, were looking at her with these hopeful eyes and expressions that were eerily identical and equally lethal in getting what they want. "I have the next week off and I actually have an open ticket so I could stay at least until tomorrow."

"Great," Callie responded with enthusiasm. "Teo go put your letter in a safe place, get cleaned up, get your bookbag, and we'll take Arizona to your favorite breakfast place before I take you to school. You'll probably be a bit late but that's ok. You'll be there by your second class."

Teo scampered off while Arizona talked with Callie. "You really don't have to do this."

"I …" Callie caught herself, "We want to. Plus, I feel like making you breakfast should come after a different kind of night." Whoa- Callie had no idea where that came from. The blush rose quickly up her body as she observed the same rise in Arizona. "Oh, I mean…."

Arizona was caught off guard by the innuendo but it did something to her. It made her feel light, excitement… something almost impossible to ignore. Noticing Callie's discomfort and embarrassment, she attempted to normalize the statement. "Yeah probably after a night where I didn't make your nephew cry himself to sleep."

Callie was grateful for the save, "Right."

At that, both women exited to get ready, with Callie offering Arizona her bathroom while she used Teo's. After about a half-hour of rushing around, all three were about ready to go when Callie's beeper blared through the house.

"No, no, no" Callie nearly yelled in frustration. "Let me call in and see what it's about. It may not be urgent."

Arizona smirked knowingly at Callie. As a fellow surgeon, she knew the likelihood of her not having to rush in to the hospital after the page was low.

"She's a surgeon," Mateo stated as he came to stand next to Arizona as she looked towards Callie "so sometimes she has to leave when she doesn't want to."

"I actually know all about that," Arizona replied. Mateo quirked her eyebrow at her almost suspiciously. "I know because I'm a surgeon too," she told him with a proud smile on her face.

"You are?"

"I am."

"Oh right, I knew that. Tim told me." Arizona was taken aback a bit. How much had her brother shared about her with this young boy. She was about to inquire further when Mateo added, "Cool," signaling the end of the conversation. Maybe she would ask him later.

"But maybe it's not important. Sometimes it's just Erica."

"Erica?"

"Auntie Callie's girlfriend."

"Oh," Arizona replied, surprised and disappointed. She looked down at Mateo who began to eye her carefully after hearing the change in her tone. He was seemingly attempting to read her and Arizona knew it.

"Yeah, umm are you ok?"

"Oh yeah, of course. I'm awesome" Arizona tried to cover.

"Uh huh," was Mateo's only reply.

Callie finished her conversation and rejoined them. "I'm really sorry but I have to go in."

"But I didn't get breakfast!" Teo exclaimed.

"I know. We can grab something quick before I drop you off at before care."

"But…" Teo pouted.

"No buts, Teo," Callie scolded.

Callie realizing what this meant for their time with Arizona, and frankly her time with Arizona, worked quickly to come up with a solution that would keep Arizona in town for the day. "What if we changed breakfast plans to dinner plans? Arizona, would you have dinner with us tonight? Teo and I will be home around 7:30."

Arizona, tempted to agree, caught sight of Teo's face which had not softened following the breakfast fall out. Even if only breakfast and minor in the grand scheme of things, Arizona could feel Mateo's disappointment and although she knew very little about the boy, she knew he had had enough disappointments in life. Maybe this was one she could fix? And maybe this was a way to distance herself a bit from the beautiful, but involved and attached brunette.

"How about this? I'll take Mateo to breakfast and then drop him off at school."

Callie was disappointed at Arizona's dismissal of her or lack of inclusion of her but she remembered that Arizona was in Seattle for Mateo and nothing and no one else.

"Umm, sure. I guess that will work. You know where his school is and all," Callie stated though clearly dejected. She was pretty sure the flirting had been reciprocal.

Arizona noticed the shift in Callie's mood but played through it. "I sure do. Is that ok with you, Mateo?"

"Yep," he agreed.

"Ok, well here's my number," as Arizona quickly scribbled it out on a post it and handed it to Callie. "Call if you want to check in but I'll make sure to get him to school by his second period."

"Ok" Callie stated somberly. She redirected her focus back to her nephew for fear of letting the disappointment be too noticeable. "Remember to be on your best behavior, Teo, and make sure you go straight to the lounge after the bus drops you off at the hospital. No playing around in the cafeteria or anything."

Mateo rolled his eyes, "I know."

She then turned back to Arizona at a loss for words. She knew she should just say goodbye but she felt like there was more that should be said. "Well, I guess this is it."

"Guess so."

Teo watched the exchange curiously.

"Umm, well thanks again for coming all this way to bring Tim's letter to…"

"Yeah no big deal," she cut Callie off. She had no idea why but she felt slightly annoyed by the revelation that Callie had a girlfriend. The flirting was harmless and Arizona herself was a flirt so she knew that it shouldn't have been a big deal but she still felt irritation towards the woman in front of her. She had felt a sliver of excitement with the woman and now it was gone. Sure, Arizona recognized she was being irrational but maybe she really had been living in a cave the past two months and this woman had brought out the light for even just a moment. Now it was being taken away and she was upset by it. "Thanks for letting me stay the night. You take care, now."

Callie was clearly being dismissed by this woman and it hurt, more than it should given the circumstances. "Um, you too."

"Alright, Mateo, ready?"

Mateo looked from one woman to the next, clearly catching the tension in the exchange. He innocently shrugged his shoulders at the situation. "C'mon let's go, Arizona." He walked ahead and out the door with Arizona following behind him and Callie looking forlornly at her as she exited her and Teo's home and her life maybe forever.

* * *

Mateo and Arizona entered Geraldine's Counter Restaurant and were greeted by the hostess. "Would you like to sit at the counter or at a table?" the young lady asked them.

Arizona looked at Mateo and he without hesitation said the counter. He quietly explained to Arizona, "You have to sit at the counter here. It's the best seat in the house."

"Well, oh wise young one, lead the way."

The two of them comfortably took their seats as they looked over the menu. After a rather quiet ride where they made some small talk, Arizona was starting to feel the pressure of entertaining the young boy. While she was good with kids in the hospital and loved working with kids, she didn't envision her life with kids in it. She liked having the freedom to travel and live a life by the seat of her pants so to speak. She had no responsibilities much outside of herself and she liked that. This was so unlike her brother though who desperately wanted to settle down, get married, and start a family. He would have been a great dad she thought. His desire to have kids really came out in his interactions with friends' children or just with neighborhood children. She recalled fondly how the younger neighborhood children would flock to him even when he was a teenager and he would relish in it. Even as an adult, if he and Arizona went for a run in the park, he would undoubtedly encounter some kids and start a game of tag or something. Arizona, however, didn't operate this way. She didn't feel "wired" to have kids and so didn't really pursue opportunities to be around kids in a social setting. As a result, she was feeling more uneasy or awkward than one might expect sitting next to Mateo. She was desperately wishing her brother's kid magnetism would rub off on her in these moments.

"So what's good here, Mateo?"

"The French Toast, duh" he replied as if it was so obvious.

Arizona chuckled, "Right, I remember you mentioning that."

After placing their orders, French Toast and Milk, the awkward silence again seemed to come upon them. Mateo reached for his headphones about to put them on his head/ears and Arizona mentally slapped herself for not being able to engage her brother's penpal. She was imagining how disappointed Tim must be watching the exchange.

"Mateo," she caught him before the headphones stopped her, "What do you like to do when you aren't in school?" 'Good job, Arizona, not a yes/no question but open-ended,' she thought to herself. 'Small victories.'

He pondered the question for a moment, "I like soccer, basketball, videogames, like regular boy stuff."

"I like soccer, too. I played midfield and forward when I was your age and in high school."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I play fullback. I like to defend," Mateo stated proudly.

"Awesome, where did you learn to play?"

"Papi taught me," he replied with a wistful tone to his voice. "He played his whole life. He was really good. Did Tim play?"

"Sure did. He was goalie. He was really good, too. So he made me better because I practiced against him."

"Did you score on Tim?"

"All the time," she winked at him to communicate she was exaggerating.

He smiled and let out a little giggle that warmed Arizona's heart.

"What other things was Tim good at," the little boy asked.

"Oh gosh, Mateo, all sorts of things. He was really good at baseball. He played second base."

"Did he have a favorite team?

"Oh definitely. The Yankees were his team. He also liked to dance."

"Me too, I love to dance. I was a part of a dance troupe in Miami, the Hip Hop Kids. Now I just dance using my Kinect."

"I bet you're really good."

"I'm alright. I bet Tim was better."

"No not really. Tim liked to dance but I didn't say he was a good dancer," she winked at him and they both broke out laughing.

Their food arrived and they dug in. Arizona let out an audible moan after her first bite of the French Toast. "Wow, Mateo, you were right. This is the best French Toast I've ever had!"

"I know. It's even better if you put the bananas and strawberries on it!" Forgetting that Arizona had gotten hers plain, he looked over at her plate and saw her playfully frown. "Well, here, you can have some of mine." He grabbed a spoon and started to scoop up the fruit and placed them on her plate. "Now your plate is a happy one! Bon appétit!"

Arizona was beginning to see that brightness that Callie told her about. These were glimpses and she couldn't help but be struck by them. She only wished this was more of how he was but given everything he had been through, she wasn't surprised these glimpses were few and far between.

"Do you like music, Arizona?" Mateo asked with a mouthful of bread.

She laughed at his garbled speech. "Yes, and I imagine you like music quite a bit too, seeing as how you don't seem to go anywhere without those headphones."

"These aren't just headphones Arizona, these are Beats. Beats by Dre, like only the best sounding headphones ever!"

"Oh, my mistake. You don't seem to go anywhere without your Beats."

"I don't," Mateo replied as he spoke a little more quietly and seemed to get lost in his thoughts. Arizona was about to prompt him but then he spoke up. "Sometimes… sometimes I just… I like to go somewhere else. Someplace where you don't think about the bad stuff. The music takes me there." He looked up at his new friend with such emotion in his eyes. "Not everyone gets it. They think I'm just not listening but sometimes I need to go someplace else. I have these playlists I made to really help me go someplace else when I get sad or even when I get mad."

Arizona swallowed deeply. She knew the feeling all too well. It was a similar experience she had when she would put her earphones in and run. Running and running to her selected playlists just took her somewhere else and recently the two combined took her away from a reality without her brother. "I get it, Mateo. You don't have to explain it to me. I do something similar." He smiled softly back at her.

"So what kind of music do you listen to, Arizona?" He asked as he downed some of his milk.

"All kinds. What about you?"

"Mami and Papi really liked music from when they were younger so I even listen to old people music."

Arizona laughed a bit, wondering what old people music meant. She was pretty sure it probably only went back to the 80s or 90s.

"What's old people music, huh?"

"Like Michael Jackson, Prince, Earth Wind and Fire, Lionel Richie."

She knew it. "Yep, I thought so. What kind of music that's on the radio now do you listen to?"

"Hmmm… I like all sorts. Tim even burned me cds with music because he thought I would like them."

Arizona was a bit surprised by that. She was learning more and more just how close the two of them were. "Oh, what did he send you?"

"Cds with Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, The Lumineers, Miguel. Auntie Callie made sure the songs were the clean versions because sometimes they have curse words. He didn't send me them but I like Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan. I like girl singers too like Pink and Taylor Swift. That's really just a few.

"You know what, I like all those same artists too."

"Nuh-uh, you're just saying that."

"No really, I do."

"Prove it, sing one of their songs," he challenged with a sly smirk.

"Oh you're on, little man." Clearing her throat," Johnny's daddy was taking him fishin'. He was eight years old. Little girl came through the front gate, holdin' a fishin' pole."

Mateo looked on at her and his smile grew bigger than Arizona had seen it. She continued singing, anything to keep that smile on his face she thought, "His dad looked down and smiled. Said, "We can't leave her behind. Son, I know you don't want her to go, but someday you'll change your mind."

And then Mateo joined in, "And Johnny said, "Take Jimmy Johnson, take Tommy Tompson, take my best friend, Bo. Take anybody that you want as long as she don't go. Take any boy in the world, daddy please, don't take the girl."

"I really like that song. My papi used to take me fishing," Mateo said sullenly.

"Oh, Mateo, I'm so sorry. I didn't think…" She began to backpedal as quickly as possible.

"No, no, it's ok. I liked that we sang it. Really," He looked at her with a small smile. "I just get sad sometimes but I liked singing it with you. It was fun."

Arizona felt warm inside. She just made a fool of herself, in a crowded restaurant, in front of a child and she hadn't felt this good in some time. Arizona had already finished up her plate and beverage and as Mateo did, he pushed his plate away and looked over at her, "You know, I wouldn't mind if you had come fishing with us, even though you're a girl."

Arizona couldn't tell but she sensed there was more meaning behind that admission. She thought maybe she had won some sort of approval from Mateo and she thought Tim would be proud.

"Thanks, Mateo. Now, let's get you to school."

* * *

The car ride to Mateo's school was eerily quiet. Mateo's mood had shifted as soon as Arizona had uttered the dreaded school word. He put his headphones on and remained uninterested in taking them off during the car ride.

Now, they were parked right outside of the school. Arizona was unsure of how to proceed. She thought she had a small connection with Mateo and realized how important it was for her to establish one. She didn't realize it would be so important but when Mateo had told her he would have been ok with her going fishing with him and his dad, she felt it down to her core. It was as if she could feel Tim smiling a bit down on her, saying "Good job, sis." And now, now she was only hoping that the little boy would at least say goodbye and not jump right out of the car without looking back.

Arizona's worst fear at the moment was realized though when Mateo exited the car. Arizona felt a punch to her gut and wasn't quite sure why. She didn't expect such a reaction to hit her so hard, but it did. She dropped her head to the steering wheel attempting to compose herself. Tears started to cloud her eyes when all of a sudden a rap on the window brought her out of her position. She looked to her right and there was Mateo, tears already falling down his face. Arizona opened up the car door and she stood just inside of it, just staring at the little boy who seemed to be pondering his next move. He reached from behind him and Arizona noticed in hand he had a flower which coincidentally looked like the ones from the school garden to her right and looked like the one that should have been in the missing gap between two identical looking flowers. She smiled and laughed to herself.

"T- th-thank you, Arizona… for…for…" he was having trouble talking through his emotions, "…for coming all this way to bring me Tim's letter. Thank you for coming all this way to meet me."

As he gave her the flower, "This is for you."

Arizona was touched by the gesture.

"I really wanted to meet Tim and even though I didn't get the chance to meet him in person, I think that maybe… I think… I got to meet him in a different way through you."

Arizona worked really hard not to break down in response to the sentiment. She was being as strong as she could possibly be and couldn't say anything else in return but "Thank you, Mateo." She smiled at him and he returned her smile.

He adjusted his Transformers backpack on his back and turned to walk past her and towards the front door of the school. Arizona looked towards the sky, towards the heavens. She walked to the front of the car and leaned against the hood as she caught her breath. Just as she stood to make her way back to the driver's side of the car, she heard the pounding of sneakers on concrete. She turned to face the school and in a blur of activity a floppy brown haired boy had thrown his arms around her waist. Mateo squeezed her and held on tight. He dropped his arms for just a second, allowing Arizona to fall to her knees and extend her arms towards him again, pulling him in for another hug. They both shed tears at the goodbye. When Mateo pulled away, Arizona held her finger up to him signaling for him to stay put. She rushed to the car and grabbed a napkin and a pen, writing her number down for the little boy. She knelt in front of him and spoke softly, "Mateo, this is my address and this is my cell number. You write or call me anytime you want, ok? If you need to talk about anything, if you want to talk about Tim, you can reach me by mail or by phone, ok?"

"Like a penpal?" Mateo replied as he wiped at his nose with his sleeve.

"Like a friend, Mateo" she corrected.

He smiled at her and began to walk towards the front door again. Arizona turned again to get back in the car when Mateo called out to her, "Arizona?"

"Yes?"

"You can call me Teo. My friends and family call me Teo."

* * *

**A/N 2: Credit "Don't Take The Girl" by Tim McGraw. Now, I'm serious that the next update may take a bit longer. Sorry about that. Next up, Arizona may not be headed back to Baltimore as quickly as it seems. And, Erica and Arizona meet. Dun dun dun...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Found some down time I didn't anticipate due to some initial project deadlines being pushed back so took advantage of the extensions and got this chapter written. It's pretty long so hopefully it will tie you over until the next update which will likely take at least 2 weeks, maybe more. Just depends on how these last few deadlines go.  
**

**A/N2: I know you want Callie and Arizona goodness. Make sure you check out the next chapter for a significant development. Things move more quickly after that. **

**A/N3: I own nothing. I wish I owned Callie and Arizona. All mistakes are mine... no beta... sorry. **

* * *

Arizona had driven to the airport straight from Mateo's school, hoping to catch a standby flight to Baltimore. She arrived at the gate about 90 minutes before boarding of the American Airlines flight and was told there was a good chance there would be an open seat. She just needed to wait. She sat in an empty corner and took out her phone to check her messages. She was alerted to a few new text messages including one from a number she didn't have in her contacts or recognize. She opened up the message and realized it was from one Callie Torres.

"_Arizona, thank you again for coming to Seattle under the circumstances. I'm so very sorry for the loss of your brother. I know all too well what the grief of losing a sibling and best friend is like. Tim was a good man and he was very good for Teo. I'm grateful for his presence albeit brief in Teo's life. I know you are headed back to Baltimore but I can't help but hope that this isn't the last we will hear from you. If you ever are in need of a vacation or just need to get away, I hope you know that there are two people in Seattle who would gladly welcome you. Take care."_

After reading Callie's message, Arizona couldn't help but regret the way she left things with her. She was just so flustered by the whole situation. Clearly, Arizona was attracted to Callie but it seemed it went deeper than that. It was unlike anything that Arizona experienced before. She wasn't normally one to respond so quickly to another woman. Sure, there would be a physical attraction but her heart didn't race, her skin didn't tingle, her being wasn't drawn in like she was with Callie. It was unnerving, almost disconcerting, but it was also new and exciting. It was that excitement, although unexpected, that brought some of the light back to Arizona and she liked the feel of it. She didn't think beyond that. It's not like she was planning to date the woman given she lived 3000+ miles away, but she wanted to feel that lightness. The light was quickly extinguished, however, when she found out Callie had a girlfriend. On the one hand, she was pleased to find out Callie was into girls but she was also attached to a girl. Talk about rapid extremes in emotions, first giddy excitement next gut punching disappointment. Still, she should have handled the situation better. She prided herself on being composed and calm and being able to handle any situation, no matter what was thrown at her. In this case, however, she failed and let her emotions get the better of her. Arizona was about to text Callie back when that same number flashed as an incoming call.

"Hello?"

"Arizona, I'm so sorry but this is Callie Torres. I could really use your help."

* * *

_About 30 minutes earlier…_

"Dr. Torres, you have a phone call," came the news from one of her ortho nurses.

"I'm about to go in on an open femur. Can it wait?"

"It's Mateo's school," the nurse replied.

Callie immediately let out a loud and frustrated breath. A phone call before noon was becoming commonplace and Callie was pretty sure she knew it wouldn't be a courtesy call.

"Put the call through to my office, I'll take it in there. Tell my team, I'll be in in a few," she instructed.

Rushing to her office and gathering herself and her patience, Callie lifted the phone, "This is Dr. Torres."

"Dr. Torres, this is Principal Evans."

"Yes, hello Principal Evans."

"Dr. Torres, I have Mateo here. He got into another fight with some students and I have no choice but to suspend him."

She cursed under her breath, "Please Mr. Evans, I know he's having a rough time right now but is there any way we could come up with some other consequence besides suspension?"

"Dr. Torres, I know he's having a rough go of it but we cannot tolerate physical aggression of any kind here. We have to treat him like any other student. So, just like the other students are suspended for fighting with him, he too has to be suspended."

Blowing out a hugely exasperated breath, "I understand. I'll see about someone coming to get him."

"That isn't all, Dr. Torres. As you know, we have tried to be incredibly patient with Mateo but his frequency of suspensions and his declining grades and his overall level of disrespect and defiance towards teachers and other school personnel… well we can't continue to tolerate it and suspensions are not working."

"What are you saying, Mr. Evans?"

"We need to schedule a meeting to talk about possible alternative arrangements."

"Wh-wh-what?"

"Dr. Torres, we aren't meeting his needs. It may be best if we consider alternative arrangements but my secretary will call you to schedule that meeting."

Callie was flabbergasted. She knew his behavior was problematic and his school had been so patient. She just didn't think it had gotten this bad.

"Ok, I'll wait for your secretary's call."

"Mateo will be in the office when you or your agent arrive. I.. um… I'm really sorry, Dr. Torres." For what it was worth, he legitimately sounded sincere.

Callie hung up the phone and felt the anger and frustration burn in her. She didn't want to be angry with Mateo but she was. If she was honest, she was also angry at herself. Angry at Aria and Wil. Angry at everyone and everything. In her state, she knew she couldn't go get Mateo. She was sure to say things she would probably regret and well, she still had an open femur to fix. She started calling down her emergency contacts list for Mateo but no one was available. All of her colleagues were in surgery or about to go into a surgery and her neighbors weren't answering. She was desperate. Running her hands through her hair exasperatedly, her eyes fell upon the post it she had left on her desk after sending Arizona a text earlier. She couldn't ask her for this favor, could she? She debated back and forth but in the end, she didn't have any other viable alternatives. She reasoned that Arizona was unlikely to have left by now, assuming the earlier flights were booked, so she had probably gotten a flight later in the day. Sure it would be an inconvenience but Callie would spend whatever amount necessary on a gift as a token of her gratitude. Still reluctant, she dialed the phone number anyways.

* * *

_Present_

"Callie, what's happened?" Arizona asked, worry lacing her voice. "Is it Mateo? Is he hurt?"

"No no, well maybe, I'm not sure. He might be."

"I don't understand," Arizona asked confusedly.

"He got into a fight at school. He's been suspended and I am about to go into a surgery. I can't get him and I've tried everyone on his emergency list but no one can get him either. They're about to kick him out of school, I think. I don't know what to do. I know he's struggling but I never thought they would consider kicking him out." Callie was rambling and she knew it but she was feeling seriously overwhelmed.

Arizona could sense Callie was on the verge of tears. "Ok, Callie, just breathe." She then waited for the woman on the other end of the line to do exactly that. "Ok, now what do you need from me?"

"I know it's awful of me to ask. You already came all the way out here and you're on your way back home but could you… I mean would you… if you don't mind…I'll pay for a later flight or a hotel room if you get stuck here, although you're welcome to stay with us or whatever…"

Arizona knew what she was about to ask and she drew in a deep breath. She wasn't sure she could or should agree to it. Callie was in a bind no doubt but she had already had a heartfelt goodbye with Mateo. She wasn't sure she wanted to go through that again. She wasn't sure she wanted to be pulled into Callie and Teo again. "Umm…" Arizona stalled as her hands fiddled in her purse from her nervous energy. She felt the edges of something and pulled it out. It was the laminated photo of Tim she always carried around. Right then, she knew what he would want her to do. "Yeah, ok. I'll go get him."

"Oh my god, Arizona, thank you. Thank you so much. Just bring him to the hospital and the nurses will take him into the lounge and look after him until I get out of surgery."

"Alright, sounds like a plan."

"Thank you again, Arizona."

"No problem. I'll see you in a bit" and with that Arizona hung up the phone, looked around the airport, asked herself what the heck she was doing, and still began her exit from the terminal.

* * *

Mateo sat in the school office with his headphones on and his hood pulled up. He had heard when Mr. Evans had called Callie. He heard about the "alternative arrangements" and tears started to pool in his eyes. That was when he pulled his hood up. He didn't need another reason for kids to make fun of him. They did a good enough job of that already without added ammunition. He had tried to walk away earlier when they started up with him, teasing and pushing. He had tried to ignore the provocations but then they said stuff and that was it. He snapped. It all happened so quickly. It always happened so quickly. The next thing he knew he was bleeding from his lips and mouth and he was standing there with his chest just heaving. He was so mad… so angry. And now he was still so mad but he was also sad, worried, and scared. He was wanting to shrink in existence, shrink from the world, shrink from his aunt who he knew was going to be livid with him. He expected yelling and screaming and maybe some crying from her. What he wasn't expecting, however, was the person he saw as she entered the school office.

Arizona immediately caught site of Mateo and the façade that Mateo was trying so hard to hold up completely fell as his face crumpled. Arizona knelt down in front of him and noticed the puffy and split lip. She gently coaxed, "What happened, Teo?"

He furiously shook his head no and attempted to wipe his tears away.

"Shh, shh… " she attempted to calm him. "You can tell me."

Still he just furiously wiped at his face attempting to set his face back to his normally stony expression.

"Dr. Robbins, I presume" came the voice of one Mr. Evans.

"Yes? I mean, yes, I'm Dr. Robbins. I'm here for Mateo."

"Right, Dr. Torres called and authorized us to release him to you. Please remind her that Teo is not to return until Thursday at the earliest. We have issued a 3-day suspension and that doesn't include the weekend obviously. We hope to meet with her before then but if not, Teo can return on Thursday."

Arizona, not particularly enthused by the principal's announcement in front of Teo, quickly acknowledged his request and turned to look at Teo who was now standing with his head bowed down, shuffling his feet. She reached for his chin and tipped his head up so he met her eyes. They were red and puffy and as always so very expressive and right now they were expressing shame, remorse and still remnants of anger. Her heart broke at the sight. Arizona cocked her head to the side and gave him a small smile in hopes it would provide him some comfort. "What do you say to getting outta here?"

She bobbed his head slightly in agreement and walked out the office door with Arizona closely following behind.

* * *

It was déjà vu for Arizona. Here they were again, her and Teo, just like earlier on his way to school from breakfast riding in eerie silence. The only sounds she heard were coming from the echo from his headphones. Arizona was heading towards the hospital to drop off Teo when her cell phone rang. Assuming it was Callie checking in, she answered it without checking the caller.

"Hello?"

"Hey Pumpkin," came the greeting from her father on the line.

"Oh, dad?"

She heard him laugh a bit, "Not exactly the greeting I was hoping for."

"Right, sorry dad. I just thought you were someone else."

"Your mother said you left her a message earlier letting her know that you were on your way home?"

"Umm, yeah I was but…" her voice broke off as she glanced over at the little boy next to her. "…but I had a slight change in plans."

"Oh, care to fill me in?"

"I will. How about I give you a call later though?"

"Sure, sounds like I caught you at a bad time. Just check in later, ok?"

"Sure thing, dad."

"Alright."

Arizona was about to say goodbye when her father chimed in again.

"Oh and Arizona? I'm really proud of you for what you've done over there. Your brother…" his voice slightly breaking, "…Tim… that boy clearly meant a lot to him. I know… I know things have been really hard for you since he died and well… going there couldn't have been easy. You're… you're…" his voice choked with emotion, "… you're just like we raised you to be, just like Tim, you're a good man in a storm."

Arizona swallowed thickly attempting to control her own emotions, "Thanks, dad."

"I'll talk to you later, sweetie."

"Ok, bye."

"Bye."

Arizona took a deep breath and looked over at Teo as her dad's words continued to play over in her head, "You're a good man in a storm." Teo was experiencing a storm of his own and she needed to help him. He seemed so lost, so overwhelmed. He had been angry and sad a lot of the time she's been with him but she had seen those glimpses of brightness and cheerfulness. And Arizona desperately wanted more of those for him. She wasn't sure how she could help but she knew Tim would want her to.

Arizona bypassed the hospital in favor of a park she had seen when she was attempting to find Callie and Mateo's home that first night. The route past the hospital seemed to catch Teo's attention as he looked about curiously. A few more minutes passed before they arrived at the park. It was a nice area with a playground and some benches which overlooked the city. Arizona parked the car and looked to Teo who glanced at her with a confused yet adorable expression on his face. His hood was down but his headphones still on. Arizona gently tapped his headphones signaling she wanted him to take them off. He reluctantly obeyed.

"I thought we both could use some fresh air and this place probably has some of the freshest air around," Arizona explained, hoping to get some buy-in from the youngster.

"I thought you were leaving," he questioned, ignoring her previous statement.

"I am… I was… I will…" unsure of what to tell him about the situation because she didn't know what it was herself, "…I just changed my plans."

"Ok," he acknowledged.

"Why don't we get some of that fresh air?" Arizona asked as she exited the vehicle with Teo mirroring her actions. She points over to the swings and leads them that way. They each sit on a swing without swinging, just swaying a bit using the push and pull of their feet into the ground.

Mateo kicked around some rocks and dirt as he sat on the swing parallel to Arizona. He kept his headphones down though which Arizona quickly picked up on. If he was completely against talking, Arizona had no doubt he would make that clear to her with his headphones. He might talk to her with a little prodding she thought.

"Do you want to talk about what happened today, Teo?"

"No," came his sharp and quick reply.

"Ok, we don't have to. But I'm here and I'll listen if you want to talk about anything else, ok?" She asked, hopeful to get the little boy to respond.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Trying to help me? You don't even really know me. And you live super far away?"

Arizona couldn't help but smile a little at his use of the word "super." Maybe she had more in common with this kid than she thought.

"You know, I don't really know the answer to that." Arizona offered.

Mateo looked up at her confused.

She sighed as she tried to explain her thinking. "Teo, Tim, he was my brother and I loved him very much. We were very close. And you and him seem like you were very close… and I… I… I know he would want to be here for you right now because things are hard. And…and…I know I'm not him but I can be here for you too, if you let me. I can be your friend, right here, right now. We don't just have to be mail or phone friends."

Teo scrunched his eyebrows, as if he were considering her proposal.

She continued, "To be honest, I think I could use a friend too."

Teo seemed to jump to attention at that. He stood up from the swing and started walking towards the bench which overlooked the city. As he walked further away, Arizona wondered if she had gone about this all wrong and pushed him away. Just as she started to mentally berate herself, she saw him turn and look at her as if waiting for her to follow. So she did.

They sat together on the bench, Teo making sure to sit a good distance from Arizona. "My Auntie Callie likes it up here," he stated quietly. "She says it's a good thinking spot."

Teo continued to look contemplative over the city as if he was on the verge of some big confession. Arizona didn't dare to interrupt.

"I don't like thinking. I try not to, I try to make my brain stop but it just keeps happening."

"What do you think about Teo?"

"My mami, my papi, and Tim. Thinking about them hurts my heart. My mami told me once that sadness can grab a hold of your heart and squeeze it so tight you feel like it will explode. I think that's what's happening to me. Sometimes it squeezes so tight I can't even breathe."

Arizona tried hard to not just pull him into her and hold him right then.

"The sadness it has my heart. But sometimes it's not just that. Sometimes the anger gets it too. My mami said anger can build in you like when you blow bubbles in your milk, it starts slow and then gets bigger til it overflows the cup, but I think she was wrong. It doesn't build like that, not for me. It comes out of nowhere and boom it's there and I can't stop it. I get so mad, Arizona. Tim said it's like having an Incredible Hulk inside of me and he just comes out. And then I hate everything. I want to hit everything. I want to yell and scream and break things. And then everyone gets mad at me."

By now tears had started to stream down the boy's face unchecked. He wasn't even trying to swipe them away. He was just feeling… letting the feelings overtake him and Arizona's heart was breaking for him and for her. How could a little boy be describing how she often found herself feeling. She only had the wisdom and skill of an adult to keep her sadness and anger in check.

"I try really hard not to be bad but I can't help it. I don't want to be bad."

Arizona couldn't not interrupt his negative train of thought after that. She knelt in front of him and placed her hands on his legs, "You are not bad, Teo. You are not bad. Do you hear me? Your heart is hurting because of the bad things that have happened to you and your family. But you are not bad. You are sad and mad and it's ok to feel that way. You are not bad."

"A...Ari…Arizona…" he was having trouble getting his next words out.

"Take your time, sweetie," she patiently replied.

"Do you think my mami, papi and Tim are mad at me?"

Arizona was about to immediately quell that thought when he continued,

"B…bec…because I'm mad at them. They left me and I'm so, so mad at them." And with that Teo completely broke down. His little body racked with sobs, his body heaving with the weight of the emotion he was letting out.

Arizona stood to sit next to Teo and pulled him into an embrace, attempting to offer him any comfort she could.

"Shh… it's ok. It's ok. You can be mad at them, it's ok."

"I'm mad at Tim too." Arizona let out. "I'm mad at him too."

* * *

An hour and some passed as Arizona and Teo just sat together, with Teo cuddled into Arizona's side with Arizona's arm wrapped securely around him to his waist. After they both recovered from the emotional fallout from their conversation, they talked a bit more about the events that had transpired today. Teo was being bullied at school, for being the new kid, for his size, his "gay aunt", the little accent he spoke with, they even had the audacity to make comments about his parents and Tim. You name it and they were bullying him for it and Arizona was livid. It was not surprising that Teo was lashing out at his peers, and even his teachers who he said weren't doing anything to stop the bullying. She knew she would need to tell Callie what Teo had shared about the goings on at school. Checking her watch, Arizona slid her arm up to Teo's shoulders and squeezed him tight against her. "It's time we get to the hospital Teo. Your aunt is probably wondering where we are."

"Ok," he tentatively replied. His tone was laced with sadness. "Ar-are you leaving after you drop me?"

"I…I don't know. I haven't figured out my flight arrangements yet."

"Umm, ok. But I can still call you right, after you leave right? When you get home, I can call you? Because we're friends, right?"

"Anytime, Teo. I meant what I said earlier. I'm your friend and you can call me anytime," Arizona reassured him as she gently tapped the tip of his nose with her finger in playful manner to lighten the mood a bit.

"Hey!" he playfully rebuked her as he stood. "Ok, we can go, on one condition?" He asked her with a sly grin on his face.

"Hmmm, maybe… what is it?"

"We race!"

"Oh, ho, you're so getting left in the dust Mr. Santos." Arizona challenged.

"We'll see about that," came the confident reply from the 8-year-old. "Alright, on your mark…" they both got into position, "…get set… and…" Mateo cheated and took off yelling, "Gooo!" as he created more distance between him and his new friend.

Arizona laughed heartily as she chased him from behind.

* * *

Arizona texted Callie to let her know that she and Mateo had arrived at the hospital and Mateo would be waiting for her in the cafeteria instead of the lounge because he was hungry. Arizona and Mateo were currently playing a game of push and pull whereby Mateo would try and rush ahead of her and Arizona would tug back on the hook of his bookbag. It was a silly game but every time Arizona yanked him back, Mateo would let out the most pure and innocent laugh, once again a glimpse of an 8-year-old boy whose life wasn't rife with tragedy shining through.

Arizona tugged one time a bit too hard and Teo fell back into her knocking them into a third person and sending both Arizona and Teo to the floor in a fit of giggles. Fortunately, the third person remained upright. She, however, was not amused.

"This is a hospital not a playground and …" came the shrill voice from above, only interrupted when she finally laid eyes on the boy in front of her.

"Teo?!" she asked incredulously.

Arizona finally looked at the source of the hardened tone and found a blonde woman, with wavy just below the shoulder length hair and blue eyes staring her and Teo down. This woman was attractive in her own way but certainly not her type. Her eyes alone, a bit cold, and her voice, rough and with an edge, were certainly a turn off.

Arizona and Teo quickly righted themselves and stood up. "Teo, you know better than to play around here. And… wait… wh… what the heck are you doing here? It's the middle of the school day."

Arizona decidedly did not like the tone this woman was taking with Mateo but before she could respond for the young child, the blonde woman continued her tirade, "Oh don't tell me you've been suspended again?! " Just then, the woman narrowed her eyes, taking in Mateo's face more closely. She noticed Mateo's split lip. "You got into another fight, didn't you? God, again! Your aunt is going to have a heart attack!"

Arizona looked to the little boy who was breathing heavily. His fists were balled looking like he was ready to strike, but instead the strike came from his words, "NO SHE'S NOT! Don't you ever say that about my auntie! She's not going to have a heart attack!"

"Ugh Teo, that's not what I meant," the blonde rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's what you said and given everything he has been through, you might have chosen your words more carefully," whispered Arizona to the other woman, not trying to cause a ruckus.

"And who the heck are you? And why is Teo with you?"

"Mateo! Mateo! You don't call me Teo!" the little boy yelled, causing a bit of a scene.

"Teo, shh it's alright. It's ok," Arizona attempted to calm him.

"I can assure you, it is not ok," the taller blonde stated, glaring a bit at the boy she had decided was a troublemaker and was significantly interfering with her personal life and her ability to move forward with Callie. Things had been going pretty well with Callie by her estimation when she was charged with caring for Mateo. After his arrival, Callie barely found time for her and Erica thought she had been more than supportive and patient. She had hit her limit.

"Does one of you want to tell me what is going on before I call Callie?" came the impatient voice.

Teo looked up at the woman he had grown fond of and said, "Arizona," now pointing dismissively towards Erica, he continued, "this is Erica. Auntie Callie's girlfriend," he added with a quieter voice.

Arizona was floored. She had not given much thought to the woman Callie was dating but she sure didn't envision this woman, at least not the personality and presentation she gave off. Looks aside, those things alone made her unattractive in her mind.

"Erica, this is Arizona. Tim's sister and my friend," he added with a hint of pride.

Erica looked befuddled, "Tim's sister? Your penpal, Tim?"

Teo nodded his head in confirmation.

Arizona extended her hand and put forth as friendly a demeanor as possible even though she secretly wanted to scratch this woman's eyes out given the way she spoke to Teo and oh there was that other thing of being the girlfriend of her crush, "Arizona… Dr. Arizona Robbins."

Erica decided this woman's perkiness was already grating on her nerves. "What… why?" she began to ask but before she could get the details to relieve her confusion, her pager sounded and she took off to answer it, leaving Arizona and Teo standing in the hallway, eventually continuing their trip to the cafeteria.

"That was Erica?" Arizona asked with a bit of disbelief in her voice.

"Uh huh."

"She's… ummm… she seems… ,"Arizona searched for a decently appropriate description, "…nice I guess."

Teo looked up at her skeptically. "Umm no." he said rather frankly. "I don't like her."

"Teo…" Arizona was about to admonish.

"She's mean to me. She doesn't want me around because she just wants Auntie Callie to herself."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I can tell.

"And how's that?"

"I'm just good at understanding people. Like sometimes I know what they want to say even though they don't say it."

"That's impressive, Teo," came the amused reply from Arizona. "You're like a mind reader," she joked.

"I'm serious," he smiled at her.

Arizona just looked at him challengingly.

He rolled his eyes at her challenge as if dismissing the need to prove himself. "Ok, ahem," clearing his throat, "I'll give you an example," he confidently stated.

He cocked his head up at Arizona and quirked his eyebrow at her, sizing her up almost as if debating if she was ready for what he was about to reveal, "I know you like my Auntie Callie."

"Wh…what?" She almost choked on her own saliva.

Teo giggled at her response. "You like my Auntie Callie." He repeated as if he was reciting a grocery list, no big deal at all.

Arizona quickly pulled Teo into a secluded booth in the hospital cafeteria. She sat Teo down and sat opposite him, staring at him intently.

"What makes you say that?"

The little boy rolled his eyes, "Oh, nothing at all" he scoffed. "Just the way you look at her and the way you smile at her. You smile at her the way my papi smiled at my mami."

Arizona pondered that. Had she been that obvious?

"And she smiles at you the same way, the way my mami smiled back at my papi. So she likes you too."

"Teo, I barely know her."

"So?" he argued. "My papi and mami said they fell in love at first sight."

"I'm sure they did but they're different, they…"

Teo was growing impatient with Arizona's excuses, "Fine, lie about it if you have to now. But, at least answer this question and no lying," he emphasized. "You think she's pretty right?"

Arizona blushed, giving her clear away, "Yes, yes I think your Auntie Callie is very pretty."

"I knew it," he stated proudly and then added, "You know, she thinks you're pretty too."

"She does?" Arizona inquired curiously.

"Uh, huh. My auntie only gets nervous when she has to talk in front of lots of people or when she talks to a pretty lady and she gets nervous all the time around you."

Arizona smiled at that and smiled even bigger when Teo added, "And my auntie hasn't smiled a lot lately but since yesterday her smiles at you have been the biggest I've seen."

"You know," Arizona rationalized, "Your Auntie might be smiling because of Erica."

"Nope," he disagreed without the least bit of hesitation, "She's smiling because of you." And after a pregnant pause, "We both are."

And with that, Arizona's heart which seemed to have darkened with impenetrable, reinforced steel and concrete barriers since her brother's death, lightened just a little bit more.

* * *

Teo and Arizona decided to eat a little something while waiting on Callie in the cafeteria. Teo had shown Arizona all the good food choices in the hospital's eatery. Arizona smiled and laughed in amusement as Teo gave her the low down on all the food stations. She certainly learned a lot, including to stay away from the hot food, the pizza was a good option if you were desperate, the sandwiches were ok but the lines are always long and the pickle they put in the container makes the bread soggy, the grill had the best black bean burgers, and if you got the salad you should pay for lunch at the cashier in the adjacent convenience store because they don't have a scale and the salad is by the ounce. Clearly, Teo had spent a lot of time in this very cafeteria. As Teo munched on his black bean burger and Arizona on her fresh salad, a twosome approached them.

"M and M!" came the exclamation from a female doctor who was walking alongside a rather tall and good looking male who seemed to be checking Arizona out. She rolled her eyes.

"It's Teo, Cristina," the boy replied. Despite the correction, the little boy was trying hard to hide a smile, suggesting he wasn't too opposed to the nickname.

"Oh C'mon, Mateo Michael?! Totally M and M!" Cristina joked.

"Nobody calls me by my middle name too," the boy explained.

"Good thing I'm not nobody then," came the witty reply.

Finally turning her attention to the woman seated across from Teo, she looked back to the young boy and asked, "So who's this? Your aunt didn't tell us you had the day off. What gives?"

"Yeah, who's this cute lady friend of yours? I may just be a bit a jealous," the male doctor joked.

Humorously to Arizona, Teo seemed to narrow his eyes at the man. "This is my friend, Arizona. Arizona, these are my Auntie Callie's friends, Mark and Cristina.

Arizona stood to greet them, "Nice to meet you guys, I'm Arizona Robbins."

Sensing they wanted more information, she offered "I came out here to visit Teo and Callie from Baltimore. I thought Teo and I could spend the day together so he's not in school today," she stated giving Teo a sly wink. He appreciated her explanation.

"So is Teo showing you around? Because, I'd be happy to show you the sites, say over a meal and conversation?" flirted Mark.

Teo jumped in, "No way, she doesn't want to go out with you." The three adults were taken aback a bit.

Mark was particularly amused by Teo's opposition, "I know you might be a little attached here but you know what sport, I think you're a little too young for her. Don't worry though, we'll find you a girlfriend in no time. I'll teach you all my moves."

Teo rolled his eyes, "Ugh…" he exclaimed, "You can't take her out because she doesn't want to date you!"

Arizona laughed at that. And Cristina interjected, "I could have told you that," earning a slap on the arm from Mark.

Turning his attention back to the 8-year-old, "And how do you know that?"

Arizona had been facing Teo awaiting what undoubtedly would be a funny retort when she caught sight of the boy's beautiful aunt walking towards them. 'God, how does someone make scrubs hot!' she thought to herself. Arizona's face was overtaken by a wide grin as she was met with a big smile from the brunette, quickly forgetting her disenchantment with Callie after discovering she was involved.

Teo noticed Arizona's shift in attention, however, as did Cristina and Mark. Arizona and Callie were stupidly staring at each other without noticing anyone or anything else.

"See, that's how I know," Teo stated with a grin spreading across his face.

Both Mark and Cristina, following the two woman's stares at each other, just nodded their heads in understanding.

"Hey, you're still here!" Callie said with noticeable excitement and surprise in her voice.

"Yeah, well, this little guy here is mighty hard to shake," Arizona winked at Teo. "I thought I would hang around at least until you got here."

"Wait, you're taking off? Back to Baltimore? Already," questioned Mark. "But I haven't gotten a chance to take you out yet. That's just not right," Mark teased. Never one to take no for an answer, or even the hint of not being into guys from Teo, he continued to press her.

Callie felt a bit stricken by the proposition. She wasn't completely sure what Arizona's situation was but she was fairly confident she was attracted to her so Arizona going out with Mark wasn't something she wanted to even imagine. Her immediate and strong negative reaction was disconcerting however. She was involved, she had a girlfriend. She shouldn't be reacting so strangely, but she was.

Cristina observed the change in Callie's expression, one of happiness and delight to shock and displeasure. She knew what it signaled and did her best to help her friend out by prying Mark away, "Mark, we have that surgery to get to. Let's go!"

"It's not for scheduled for another hour or so," Mark replied.

"Well I need you to show me that stitch," Cristina tried again.

"What stitch?" Mark was just oblivious.

"That stitch, that stitch we talked about earlier." Cristina was giving him a look and trying to get him to read her nonverbals. It wasn't working. Giving up on being subtle, she grabbed him by the elbow and just said, "Let's just go, ok?"

You could still hear Mark arguing with Cristina as they walked off. Cristina turning around to make eye contact with Teo, both of them sharing knowing smiles.

Callie and Arizona were perplexed by the situation. "Weird." Callie stated.

"A little," Arizona agreeed.

Refocusing her train of thought on what she wanted to tell Callie, Arizona looked into Callie's eyes and for a second just stopped, mesmerized by the most beautiful pair of brown eyes she'd seen. "Ummm…" stalling… "ummm… Callie, I wanted to wait to see you because I wanted to say a proper goodbye. I was really short with you this morning. Call it delayed jet lag or something."

"Oh, well I just… I was just hoping I didn't upset you," replied Callie.

"No, no, you were fine, good even," perfect actually is what she wanted to say. "I was just on edge or something I think."

"Well don't worry about it. Just glad we are ok," Callie stated as she reached to gently squeeze Arizona's hand. It wasn't an odd gesture necessarily. It was something you see people do when they try to reassure or comfort someone they know fairly well but these two didn't. Callie was immediately mortified at maybe acting too familiar with the beautiful blonde but as she went to retract her hand, Arizona grasped it and squeezed it back. Callie was on fire. She had no idea what was happening to her or how she could be reacting so strongly to another woman but she was tingling, from her head to her toes. Her heart was racing, in a good way and she felt almost lightheaded, in a good way. She could only imagine what another touch from this woman could do.

Callie couldn't get over how beautiful this woman before her was. Her deep pools of blue just drew her in and made her want to discover anything and everything about this woman. And then the guilt settled in for a second. Callie had a girlfriend. She was with Erica. What she was feeling was wrong but yet felt so right. She should have dropped her hand….should have, but didn't. Their hands remained interlocked and they continued to just stare into each other's eyes, oblivious to all else but each other. Even Teo was oddly a distant memory at that moment.

They continued to just stare at one another with incredibly big smiles on their faces. Teo also had a big smile plastered onto his face watching the interaction between his aunt and Arizona. He thought they looked goofy just staring at one another and found it rather funny, but he also liked the idea of these two women growing closer. He loved Tim, he liked Arizona and he wanted to keep both Tim and Arizona, in his life. Arizona was both his last link to Tim but also his friend in her own right.

Callie's, Arizona's and Teo's musings were all interrupted by a loud voice, "Callie!"

All three turned to see Erica closing in on them quickly. Erica has spotted the linked hands and as she got closer, she spotted the look on Callie's face. A look that she desperately wanted directed at her but had never seen, a dreamy wispy look. She didn't like it one bit.

"Erica?" Callie was a little confused by Erica's approach and placement of a chaste kiss on her lips. They weren't a couple who were fond of PDA. Arizona quickly averted her gaze to avoid having to witness more of the act, causing Callie to look at her apologetically. Luckily, Erica hadn't caught it. For Teo's part, he just looked mad. He didn't like that Erica had made his auntie and Arizona uncomfortable. He didn't like that she seemed to ruin the moment they were having before her arrival.

"Uhh, I thought you were in surgery?" Callie asked.

"I was, just got done. Arizona? Mateo?" She greeted with a bit of a smirk on her face at their clear discomfort.

"Wait, you've met?" Callie asked confused.

"Yeah, umm… we bumped into each other earlier, quite literally," Arizona laughed, causing Teo to giggle as well.

Callie smiled at the two of them. Erica did not.

"Yeah, Arizona and I almost knocked over your girlfriend, Auntie Callie," Teo explained.

Callie looked to Arizona to gauge her reaction. Clearly she knew Erica and she were involved after that kiss but to hear Erica being called her girlfriend, Callie was finding it hard to hear it herself right then.

"And we're really sorry about that again," Arizona said, not giving off an ounce of personal discomfort. She was masking it well.

Erica didn't seem interested in the apology but accepted it nonetheless.

An awkward and extended silence soon fell over the four of them.

"Well, I should probably get going," Arizona decided.

"NOOOOO!" Teo yelled. "Please, I know you have to go back home but could you leave tomorrow? We can have dinner?"

Teo looked to his aunt, "You asked her to stay for dinner this morning. Can't you ask her again?"

Erica's facial expressions deepened in disapproval, "This morning? What? Callie?"

Callie, focused on her nephew's idea, "Teo's right. You absolutely should let us take you to dinner. After all, you bailed us out of a tough spot today. Please, let us do this for you?"

Arizona couldn't deny this woman anything let alone a dinner invitation at this point.

"Sure. That sounds awesome."

"Yay," cheered Teo.

"Great, let me get cleaned up and we can head out," Callie replied. Turning to Erica, "I'll give you a call later."

Erica did not like what she concluded was Arizona's presence in Callie's life since the morning and was certainly not comfortable with the idea of them spending even more time together. "Well, just give me a minute too and I'll join you all."

Callie's face fell but she quickly recovered. "Great."

"Great," parroted Erica.

"Super," Arizona replied trying really hard to hide her disappointment.

"Just great," Teo said clearly dissatisfied as he rolled his eyes.

* * *

**Next up: A dinner all together... should be fun right?!  
**

**Please feel free to give feedback. I'm happy to read your opinions, thoughts and ideas as well. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry for the delay (special apology to Calzonafan123 as I really thought I would have this up by Thursday). Work has been a bit crazy and then I got distracted with the lead up to the Grey's finale. OMG that finale! It took me a bit to process it and I'm still processing. And processing was helped with writing this. In my world, Callie and Arizona are always endgame. Hopefully Shonda thinks the same. **

**A/N2: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed or favorited or followed… you guys are awesome. All feedback as always is welcome. **

**A/N3: I own nothing. I wish I owned Callie and Arizona. All mistakes are mine... no beta... sorry. **

* * *

It was perhaps the most awkward dinner in the history of all dinners and yet it didn't seem to register for Arizona and Teo. Callie watched as they chatted with one another animatedly oblivious to their surroundings save for Callie. Callie and Arizona's eyes met occasionally only to quickly turn at being caught by the other. Shy smiles and playful grins shot across towards each other. Despite Erica's presence, it just couldn't be helped. The two recently befriended women were drawn to one another and couldn't help sneaking a glance or smile when the opportunity was there. Even as Callie watched Arizona with Teo she couldn't help but smile and feel a warmth inside of her. There was an ease there with Arizona and Teo… a comfort that she hadn't seen in Teo since his parents were alive.

"Auntie Callie, did you know Arizona did surgeries on kids in Cuba?" Teo said as he looked between his aunt and the women he had grown so very fond of.

Arizona chuckled "The Dominican Republic, Teo."

"Wait, he lets you call him Teo?" Callie asked, amazed that Teo would do that. He was adamant about that nickname being reserved for those closest to him.

Teo answered for his new friend. "Yep, she's my friend, Auntie Callie," Teo said as smiled widely at Arizona. Arizona returning his smile with one just as wide. Erica just rolled her eyes.

"I see that" replied a touched Callie.

"Oh right, the Dominican Republic," Teo resumed their conversation, "but that's near Cuba right?"

"Yes. Good job. You are really good at your geography Teo," Arizona praised, earning a big, toothy smile from the young boy in return.

"He is actually. He won an award for it last year." Callie commented.

"I did. I did the best on the world map so I won the award," Teo stated proudly.

"That's great, Teo. You know I've always wanted to travel the world one day. Maybe you could be my tour guide," Arizona joked as she ruffled his hair.

Callie knew Teo absolutely hated it when people patted his head or messed with his hair and was waiting for the shift in mood. Teo's mood shifted like the winds, no warnings, no real reason. It shifted even with the slightest and most minor provocation. He escalated so fast it was hard to catch it before he erupted and she was sure the eruption was coming. So she was beyond surprised when Teo playfully yelled "hey" to stop Arizona and had a big smile on his face. He clearly liked Arizona and liked her attention.

"I could do that," Teo replied. "Where would you want to go first?"

"Hmm, lemme think. I've always wanted to go to Spain."

"Really?" asked Teo as he shot his aunt a wide eyed look. "Auntie Callie, Arizona wants to go to Spain, just like you." The two women blushed a bit and exchanged a smile.

This has been happening all night, Teo pointing out similarities between the two women or talking Arizona up to Callie. Callie wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose so much as he seemingly wanted to brag about his new friend. Erica, however, felt it was very purposeful and wanted to silence Teo most of dinner.

"Ok so Spain first and then we can go to France. But we need to learn to speak French," Teo thoughtfully responded.

"You mean you don't speak French!" Arizona mocked him playfully.

"No silly, I speak English and Spanish."

"Whoa ho. My mistake, Mr. Santos. You know so much, I forget you don't know everything," Arizona teased him and leaned over to nudge his shoulder with her own, eliciting another laugh from the boy. While Callie was content watching the playful banter between the two, she admittedly was a bit disappointed that Arizona was not engaging in "adult" conversation with her and Erica. Then again, Callie was barely engaging in "adult" conversation with her girlfriend; too busy watching Arizona and Teo, hence the awkwardness of the dinner.

"…and then Chief just stormed out of the OR. Can you believe that, baby?"

"Uh huh"

Erica had noticed Callie's agreeableness all evening, with her agreeableness clearly a cover for her level of distraction. Erica noticed Callie noticing Arizona and it did not amuse her. Callie seemed to be looking at her with this wonder or amazement… particularly as it related to her interactions with Teo. For Erica, Teo was part of the Callie package. She wasn't interested in parenting him or interested in befriending him. He was "baggage" to her but "baggage" that she needed to tolerate until she felt like she could talk to Callie about the benefits of him living in Miami with his grandparents instead of Seattle with Callie. From Erica's viewpoint, Teo would be happier in Miami at his old school and with his old friends. Callie's parents would also be happier having him close by. And Erica would be happier having Callie to herself. She felt confident Callie would see it her way eventually but she had to tread carefully until the time was right for such a conversation. As Erica snapped out of her internal thoughts, she watched and noticed Callie looking at Arizona in a way she had always desired for Callie to look at her. And Erica watched as Arizona occasionally chanced a look at Callie, eyes meeting her own and a blush rising on her neck and cheeks. Erica didn't like what was transpiring before her one bit.

Interrupting Arizona and Teo's current conversation, "Teo, I've been meaning to talk to your auntie about this but since we're all here together… I know you've been wanting to go to the Children's Museum. How about I take you tomorrow and we can spend the whole day together?" She internally cringed at the thought.

Teo, looked up at his Aunt Callie, whose face broke out in a smile aimed towards her girlfriend. Erica had what Teo considered the fakest smile on her face and he was no fool, he knew what Erica was doing.

"Just the two of us?" Teo replied skeptically glancing towards the other women at the table.

"Yes, just the two of us. It's about time we get to know each other better and spend some time together. We're going to be in each other's lives for a long time," she said as sweetly as possible as she reached across the table to grab a hold of Callie's hand, ignoring the anxious expression on Callie's face as she saw Arizona's face fall a bit.

"So you and me with no one else around?" Teo again asked with suspicion lacing his tone.

Clearly irritated, Erica's tone was a bit harsh, "YES! I mean yes, just you and me."

"I don't think so," came a strong reply from the 8-year-old as all eyes turned to him, including angry blue ones. "No witnesses, then no way."

Arizona choked on her food in amusement, having to grab her glass of water to down it. She couldn't help it. Teo was witty and smart as a whip. The laugh in response to his comeback just almost bubbled out. Erica glared at her.

Now clearly angered, "What do you mean no way?"

"I mean no. You're never nice to me. You're mean to me. Why would I go anywhere alone with you?" asked the boy honestly. It wasn't said in a confrontational way. Teo was simply stating the truth so far as he could tell.

"Teo," Callie snapped.

"What? She is. She's mean to me. She talks bad about me and she yells at me. You've heard her! You always say it's not going to happen again..." Teo was losing his composure and Arizona could see the imminent breakdown. "But then it does happen again. You always say she'll get better but she doesn't."

Erica had had enough. "And you always act like everything happens to you! Like everything is everyone else's fault. Mine, your aunt's, Davis. I mean look at you. You have a busted lip and a bruised face, you got into a fight after you already got in trouble for punching Davis. You never listen, Teo. If you just listened, you wouldn't be such a troublemaker!"

Arizona was livid at Erica's outburst towards Teo and couldn't help but step in.

"Hold on, you don't need to talk to him like that. He knows he made a mistake by punching Davis. And before you go making assumptions about his culpability in the fight today, you don't know the whole story. You don't know what transpired today," Arizona stated in an attempt to stop the argument.

"And who asked for your opinion. This is between me, my girlfriend and Teo. Who the hell are you to get involved?"

"She's my friend!" screamed the 8-year-old as he bolted upright, knocking the chair down behind him. "Arizona is my friend and she cares about me. Don't you talk to her like that? And stop calling me Teo! It's Mateo to you!" The boy's screaming continued as his chest heaved and tears started to flow from his eyes. Arizona reached out to touch his shoulder to offer him some comfort. He turned his eyes towards Arizona and as he did so he saw the eyes of people at nearby tables staring at him. His anger combined with embarrassment and he felt like he needed an escape. Surprising even him, he looked into the pretty blonde's blue eyes and extended his hand towards her, silently asking for her to take it. Arizona immediately took it and glanced towards Callie, "I think Teo needs some air. We'll be outside." And with that, Arizona and Teo exited the restaurant hand in hand.

"Can you believe them?" Erica started. "I mean to think that he could talk to us like that… and her…."

"Erica, we need to talk."

"I know. What are we going to do about them?"

"Nothing." Callie responded strongly."You and I are not going to do anything because there is no you and I anymore," Callie's voice was devoid of emotion. While she was saddened at the end of the relationship on some level, she felt more sadness over disappointing her nephew. He was right. Callie had made him put up with Erica's abuse far too long. Callie admittedly had been selfish. She wanted to keep her life the same while just incorporating Teo into it, while Teo's life had been changed completely. She was scared to give up parts of her life and she was scared to go down this journey alone. Maybe Erica wasn't her endgame but she was around right now and it left her feeling less alone in this, so she kept going with the relationship, only understanding now it was at the expense of her nephew and at the expense of her nephew's and hers relationship. Teo needed to be her priority, truly her priority. No pretending and rationalizing, it was time for doing and it started now.

"Erica, I can't have you around anymore. You've mistreated Teo all along and a lot of that was my fault. I let you, but not anymore. Teo 's health and well-being is most important and I need to start acting like it. It starts with us being over. You don't like Teo and I don't think you ever will, so I can't have you around him."

"But Callie… just give me a chance. I can try."

"No, I've asked you to try all this time and you haven't. I should have ended this a long time ago when I saw how you two got along but I kept thinking it would change. It won't though. I see it now."

"I'm sorry but my life has to be about Teo now. I'm sorry. We're through."

"Is this about Teo? Or is this about Arizona?" Came the angered reply from the steaming mad blonde.

"What?"

"I've seen the way you look at her. The way you smile at her. You haven't hid it well. You've been eye sexing her right in front of me since she got here," Erica exclaimed.

"I.. I…" Callie was going to deny Erica's claims but realized they were true. She was enraptured with Arizona. "I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't realize I was interested in her. But that's not what this is about."

"Like hell it isn't! That girl lives clear across the country. She's going to leave you guys so how is that good for Teo or for you?" She sweeps in and makes you both fall in love with her, only to leave as quick as she came. You're a fool if you think otherwise."

Erica continued, "You're going to regret this Callie. You can't do this alone and that's what you'll be because Arizona isn't sticking around. She's not going to stick around for Teo and certainly not for you."

"You're right. I do regret this, I regret not doing this sooner. And I won't be alone. No matter what happens with anyone I date in the future, I have Teo. I'll never be alone." And with that, Callie left Erica sitting alone at the once full table.

* * *

After exiting the restaurant, Callie found Arizona and Teo standing outside in silence, both seemingly very unhappy with her. Both said very little when Callie offered various options for their next move, frozen yogurt? arcade trip? park? All her options were met with silence from Teo and forced smiles from Arizona. Callie screwed up and she needed to fix it. She was hoping she could talk to Teo now that they were back in the safety and comfort of their home. He, however, went straight to his room, headphones on, hoodie up and all. All that was heard from him was a resounding slam indicating he was still very, leaving Callie and Arizona alone in the entry way.

Feeling really out of place and awkward given the circumstances, Arizona wavered between leaving the Torres home and wanting to stay to make sure Teo was ok. Arizona also wasn't sure how Teo would feel about her leaving without saying goodbye. Weighing her options she decided it would be best to head out and turned to Callie who was pacing back and forth, "I should probably get going, but do you mind if I say bye to Teo really quickly?"

Callie seemed to ignore Arizona's request, "I screwed up. I screwed up so badly. I don't know what I'm doing." She seemed to be talking to herself more than Arizona. "God, Aria and Wil trusted me to take care of their son and I… I… I can't even do right by them. They trusted me. They had faith in me and I'm screwing their son up. I'm screwing everything up. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Arizona felt for the woman who appeared to be falling to pieces in front of her. She was so emotional as tears fell down her cheeks and she looked up as if addressing her deceased sister and brother-in-law. Callie was apologizing to her sister and brother-in-law and it broke Arizona's heart.

"Hey," Arizona stopped Callie's scathing self-talk. "You aren't screwing everything up." Arizona reached for the woman's hands that had been raised to cover her tear-stained face. "You're trying and ok, so you're making some mistakes along the way, but that's to be expected. You guys are figuring things out. This isn't a procedure or a process at the hospital. There is no manual or protocol for this. You're doing your best. And if you make mistakes, then you fix them and try not to make them again. And you don't beat yourself up if they do happen again because we're human," Arizona stated as she tried to meet the eyes of the women she had grown increasingly fond of. The brunette looked up into those gorgeous blues and a complete sense of calm came over her. She had felt like she was drowning and all of a sudden this woman seemed to pull her out of her spiraling descent. Callie continued to hold her stare and couldn't help but look at Arizona with some wonderment. Arizona returned her gaze and lifted her hand to brush a few loose strands of Callie's hair behind her ear. The touch was electrifying for both.

"Who are you? And where did you come from?" Callie whispered.

Arizona's was confused and slightly offended. Her hand froze at Callie's ear, "Wh… huh?"

"I'm sorry. It's just… you come here… you show up completely unexpected. Your arrival is so abrupt and your presence so short-lived and yet you have done something amazing for Teo. You've brought him the most smiles I've seen since he's lived with me. And now here you are, helping me, making me feel 100 times better. Is this just what you do?" Callie said as she unconsciously closed the distance between them.

"You just walk into a room with your super magic smile and just make everything better? You walk into a room with your beautiful blue eyes and peer into the souls of all those you encounter?" Callie said with such reverence and tenderness in her tone that Arizona couldn't help but blush and feel a flutter in her stomach. This woman in front of her was intoxicating and now her attention was focused solely on her. The gaze from the brunette was so intense and she was plying her with compliments and platitudes in the sweetest form. The air was thick with a pleasurable tension as the two woman moved closer together.

Arizona was at a loss for words. She was drawn to this woman and her hand that was by Callie's ear had fallen lower and had caressed her neck and her shoulder. "I… I.. Callie, I can't…. we can't… Erica…"

"Erica and I are over," Callie stated as she could feel the blonde's breath on her face. "I ended it. I should have ended when I saw trouble brewing with Teo. I should have ended it when she uttered her first negative word towards him."

Callie's eyes fell to Arizona's lips and then up to her eyes and back down to her lips, "And I should have ended it the moment you showed up on my doorstep, when I felt a spark that I never felt before with anyone. And every moment since then that I've been with you, I feel it even more strongly. Please tell me you feel it too, Arizona. Please tell me."

"Ca- Callie…" Arizona went to protest but the second she felt Callie's breath on her lips she couldn't deny the pull to Callie any longer. She slowly closed the distance between them and their lips met in the softest and most tender of kisses. It wasn't rushed, it wasn't hurried. Their lips fused with light pressure as Arizona's hand reached to the back of Callie's head and entangled itself in her hair. The movement gave Callie confidence to peek her tongue out to run across Arizona's lips. Arizona responded in kind, parting her lips to deepen their kiss. Lips and tongues caressed each other. Their kiss as if a choreographed dance that the two seemed to have perfected without practice. Quiet moans coming from both women sounding in the room. When the need for air arose, Callie pulled away reluctantly, a bright smile appearing on her face as she took in the closed eyes and swollen lips of Arizona. Arizona opened her eyes to the beautiful woman in front of her and a smile just as bright was returned to Callie.

"And there it is," Callie spoke.

"There what is?"

"That smile, that smile that could light the darkest of rooms."

Though she didn't think it was possible, Arizona's grin grew even wider and she leant in for a quick kiss to Callie's lips.

Although they were lost to each other in the moments before, Arizona quickly reoriented herself to the problem at hand. "Callie, that was amazing."

"It was," came the dreamy reply.

" But Teo…"

"Right, Teo.

"What do we do about him?" asked Arizona.

"I need to talk to him. He needs to know that I'm sorry and that I'm committed to making him my priority."

"You're right. That's probably what he needs to hear right now," Arizona agreed.

"And…" Callie was tentative, "What about us? What do we do about us?" Callie asked.

"Let's not worry about that. Let's focus on Teo and then we'll go from there," Arizona replied. To be honest, Arizona had no idea how else to respond. She had no idea what was happening between herself and Callie. She was just supposed to be in Seattle a few days at most to give Teo Tim's letter. Never had she imagined developing a real relationship with Teo and never had she imagined something transpiring between herself and his aunt. Arizona was all for plans and somehow along the way her plan was thrown off course. Now what was she supposed to do? Her mind was telling her to get back to Baltimore as fast as possible. This was complicated and messy. Arizona didn't do complicated or messy. But her heart, a heart which was cold and dead the minute she heard the news of her brother's death, was starting to show signs of life. But it was a good thing, right?

Then why the heck did she feel more terrified than ever.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N1: Thank you, as always, to all who review, follow or favorite this story. You guys are awesome. Also, I've been getting some good ideas in the reviews/private messages. One of you might see something familiar in this chapter. Just a reminder, feedback is always most welcome. **

**A/N2: No beta so all mistakes are mine. **

**A/N3: All ownership of Grey's related characters and dialogue goes to Shondaland. I wish I owned Callie and Arizona but I don't. If I did, Arizona wouldn't have cheated and Callie and Arizona would get a heck of a lot more screen time and probably get a spin-off. **

**On with it...**

* * *

Callie was knocking on Teo's door, each knock increasing in volume. She was pretty sure Teo had his headphones on and was hoping he just couldn't hear her instead of outright ignoring her. As her knocking grew stronger, she accepted it was the latter. She opened the door on her own accord and found Teo sitting on the ground against his bed. He looked up at her and the sadness and disappointment in his eyes nearly killed his aunt.

Teo brought the headphones off his head without prompting and began to speak, "I know I'm in trouble, ok? I know you're here to punish me for yelling at your girlfriend and I'm sorry for yelling but I'm not sorry for saying what I said." Teo's voice cracked as he continued, "I know she's your girlfriend but… but…" Teo was barely holding it together as his eyes filled with tears, "…but I'm your nephew Auntie Callie and it's not ok for her to be mean to me." Teo was now furiously wiping at his cheeks, the embarrassment of crying seeming to make his tears fall faster.

Callie immediately came to sit at his side, tears of her own starting to fall from her eyes. Her nephew had already been badly hurt by fate and the damage was still raw and yet to be fully understood. Her nephew remained vulnerable and Callie was charged with protecting him from anything else cruel the world had to offer in his vulnerable state. She had failed. She had failed to protect her nephew from a torrent of harsh words from Erica time and time again. And if that wasn't enough, what hurt even more was knowing that she may have lost some of her nephew's belief and trust in her. She needed to fix things between them before any more harm to her nephew and to their relationship could be done.

Teo had tracked Callie's movements and was now staring at his aunt waiting for her to speak.

Callie looked into Teo's big, brown expressive eyes, so much like her sister's. "Teo, I'm so so so sorry. You're right. You're so very right and I have been so very wrong," Callie choked on her own cries.

She took a few deep breaths to collect herself so she could continue, "I knew Erica treated you badly at times and I thought… I thought she would stop. I… I… thought things would change. I thought you just needed to get used to each other, but… but I was wrong."

She moved to sit in front of Teo and looked directly into his eyes, "I was wrong, Teo. I put my own relationship before you and I didn't realize it. I failed to protect you and I didn't realize it. I won't make that mistake again. I promise you. I promised your… your mom and your… your dad that I would take good care of you and I will. I'll do better, Teo."

Callie hung her head down as tears overcame her. The sorrow she felt in disappointing her sister and brother-in-law just too much. Teo took his aunt's hands into his own and rubbed them with the little versions of her own. "Auntie Callie, you do take good care of me. I… I just want… I just need…" Teo was having trouble getting his words out through the emotion caught in his throat. "I don't want you to think I'm bad."

Callie quickly composed herself to alleviate her nephew's concern. "Teo, you aren't bad. You're not bad at all. You're the best nephew I could ask for."

"I just know that I get into trouble a lot and I get so mad and…"

Callie quickly interrupted him, "It's ok, Teo. You're doing the best you can. I know you are. It's just hard… things are really hard for you right now."

"Will it get better, Auntie Callie?"

"I think so sweetheart. I think so… with time," and with that Callie pulled her nephew into a hug. They held each other tightly and both seemed to breathe sighs of absolute relief. They felt better about things and more importantly they felt better about their relationship.

Teo pulled away and spoke, "I'll try to get along with Erica."

"Oh, no Teo. You don't have to worry about Erica. She won't be coming around anymore. We broke up."

Teo's expression quickly shifted from one of sadness to care and concern for his aunt. "Auntie Callie, are you ok?"

Touched by her nephew's concern, "Yes, Teo. This was a long time coming. And this is not only good for you, it's good for me. Erica and I just didn't fit together."

Teo nodded his head in agreement. "No you didn't. You're nice and cool and she's mean and so not cool. She didn't even know about the Transformers! I mean, who doesn't know who Optimus Prime is," he asked as if it was obvious.

Callie laughed and feigned shock and disgust. "You're right, who doesn't?"

Looking towards the clock, "Teo, it's close to bedtime, let's get you ready for bed."

"Ok, but I already brushed my teeth and stuff."

"Alright well let's get your pjs on."

As Teo grabbed his favorite sleeping shirt, very oversized as the shirt belonged to his dad, Callie unmade Teo's bed and noticed that Tim's letter sat unopened under Transformers pillow.

Weighing whether or not ask him about it, Callie made a decision, "Teo, have you read Tim's letter yet?"

Teo froze. "N…no…no."

"How come?"

Teo's eyes immediately began to water. "It's his goodbye letter. And… and I'm not ready to say goodbye."

Callie watched as Teo wrapped his arms around himself and started to rock a little back and forth on his heels.

"Teo?" Callie called. "Teo!"

Teo continued to rock.

Callie had only seen Teo do this once before. The night he learned his parents died he sat in the corner of his room and rocked back and forth like he was in a trance. She was able to bring him out of it but it scared her back then and was scaring her now.

Callie raced to stand in front of him and grabbed his chin to meet his eyes. He had a far away look in his eyes and seemed to have closed in on himself. "Teo!" she stated forcefully.

Teo seemed to snap out of his trance only to shift from a look of fear to a look of anger. "It's my letter! Don't touch my letter!" Teo yelled as he snatched the letter from his aunt's hand.

Callie was again shocked by the unexpected shift in Teo's mood. He was so calm a few minutes ago and now he was shaking with anger. She's hadn't meant to upset him and never would have expected such a reaction to something so innocent. Then again, Teo would blow at a moment's notice these days.

"Ok, ok, Teo!" Callie attempted to soothe him.

"It's not ok!" He yelled back at her, ignoring her attempts to calm him. "Nothing's ok. Nothing will ever be ok. He's dead. Tim's dead. Just like my mami and papi. They're all dead! Everyone's dead." Teo was screaming now and started to throw items on his desk to the floor. He was in the middle of one of his rages and it was hard to reach him when he was this upset.

Hearing the ruckus from upstairs, Arizona ran up the stairs and entered Teo's room. "Hey, what's going on? Can I help?"

"He gets like this sometimes. I just let it ride out," Callie explained.

Arizona stood and watched as Teo continued to yell, scream, cry and throw things about his room. It was devastating to watch.

And as Callie had predicted, after several minutes Teo seemed to tire and he seemed to deflate. He was breathing very heavily and his eyes searching back and forth across the room. Callie slowly approached him and called to him, "Teo?"

He responded by slowly turning towards her. The anger had left. All that remained were the remnants of tears as Teo attempted to wipe them away.

"Let's get you into bed, ok?"

Teo complied and climbed into bed, clearly spent from his ordeal.

Arizona has witnessed the whole event and remained silent from her post near the door. Callie finally set her attention on Arizona again and asked her to give them a few minutes. Arizona took her leave and went to wait for Callie downstairs in the living room.

Callie sat on the edge of Teo's bed and rubbed his arm to provide him comfort. "What just happened Teo?" Callie asked in an attempt to process the event. After an "episode" Callie always tried to process what happened with him.

"I… I… I don't know. I just get so mad Auntie Callie. It happened today at school too. The kids… they said things… these mean things about me being an orphan and about Tim not liking me anymore and I just got so mad."

Callie was livid about the other kids but didn't want to talk about that now. "I know, baby. And it's ok to be mad but we need to find other ways of dealing with it. When you get like that, Teo, I'm worried you might hurt yourself on accident and I need you to be safe, ok?"

"I know Auntie Callie. I'm sorry. It's like I can't control it."

"It's ok, Teo. We'll figure it out together."

Teo nodded his head in agreement.

Callie moved to leave but Teo grabbed onto her wrist. "Will you stay a bit Auntie Callie? Just for a few minutes. My heart is still beating really fast and I'm a little scared."

"Of course, Teo. I'll stay as long as you need me to." She sat down on his bed before continuing, "And Teo, you can read Tim's letter whenever you're ready ok? And if you need my help or anything, you just ask me. But you decide when you want to read it."

Teo nodded his head in understanding.

They passed the time quietly and idly chatting about nothing of great importance. Teo told Callie about what he wanted to see in the next Transformers movie and Callie told him about her day at work. As Teo moved on to tell his aunt about his day with Arizona, he noticed the grin on his aunt's face and stopped abruptly.

"What? Why'd you stop, Teo?"

Teo smirked at her. "You and Erica are broken up right?"

"Uh huh" came Callie's confused reply.

"So that means you are single."

Callie waited for Teo to make his point.

"And you like Arizona, so ask her out on a date."

"Teo! I do… I do not…" Callie knew she was lying but denial seemed like the easiest answer at this point.

"Auntie Callie, yes you do. You like her a lot! I can tell. She likes you too, you know?"

Callie coughed in surprise, "How do you know that?"

"I just know. You always tell me I can read people. I can read her and you. You like each other."

Callie looked at him but was not giving anything away with her expression.

"Oh gosh, ok, I know you like her because you get all nervous around her. And she may not have said she likes you exactly but she told me she thinks you're really pretty."

"She said that?" asked Callie as she blushed and grinned.

"Yep. You think she's pretty too, right?"

"She's beautiful, Teo."

"Ha, I knew it. So ask her out! You like her! She makes you smile all silly and stuff."

"Teo, we are not talking about this." Callie may have shared an earth shattering kiss with the woman in question but they just kissed. They weren't ready to talk about anything beyond the kiss and she sure wasn't going to talk to her 8-year-old nephew about the kiss itself let alone anything beyond that kiss.

Callie stood to leave but Teo held on to her wrist lightly. She leaned down over him as he gestured for her to lean in so he could whisper into her ear. "I like her and she makes me silly smile too." This earned a huge smile from Callie in return.

It was moments like these that Callie so desperately craved for Teo, where he could be his fun loving, joking self. She resumed her position on the edge of the bed and took in the calm and peaceful expression that came over him as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He so seldom looked like this that she felt compelled to sit there and enjoy it. Callie smiled and Teo's snores soon filled the air. She leaned in to give her nephew a good night kiss on the cheek before she turned around, turned off Teo's bedroom light, walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Callie took a deep breath as she entered into the hallway outside of Teo's room. She wasn't sure if the deep breath was a sign of relief that Teo had calmed down after his rage or if it was because she was prepping herself for her first time alone with Arizona after their heart stopping kiss. She wasn't sure what it all meant or where they stood, but she wanted to find out.

She found Arizona sitting on the couch flipping through tv channels.

"Mind if I join you?" Callie asked.

A bit startled by Callie's sudden appearance, she jumped.

"Oh god, sorry I didn't mean to scare you," Callie said as she reached out to lay her hand on Arizona's shoulder.

And there it was again, that shock, that jolt of electricity that seemed to hit when they touched. Arizona was convinced Callie had some sort of magnetic field around her that just drew her in and then set her afire once they touched.

"Are you ok?" asked Callie concernedly.

"Yes, s..sorry. You just startled me," Arizona explained. "Please, sit."

Callie sat in close proximity to Arizona. She knew she should probably give Arizona some space as there was a whole couch that could separate them or Callie could sit in the loveseat, but she migrated close to Arizona, so close that their shoulders were touching as they sat together on the couch.

"So, how's Teo?" Arizona turned to Callie to break the ice.

Callie exhaled dramatically, "He's… he's ok I guess. He was calm after he got into bed."

Arizona had grown to really care for the young boy and wanted to help but didn't want to pry. She knew it wasn't her place so she treaded carefully, "If you don't mind me asking, does he get like that a lot? I mean I've seen flashes of the anger but not like that." Arizona pointed upstairs as if to clarify what she meant.

"The rages you mean? Yeah, they happen pretty frequently. They happened a lot after his parents died and then they stopped for a little while. Then Tim stopped writing…"

"Right," Arizona interrupted. "I'm sorry that this is another loss he has to deal with."

"No, Arizona. Don't every say sorry," Callie responded passionately. "Tim was a god send for Teo. I think the only reason he had some normalcy after his parents died was because he had someone to talk to. Tim was really good for Teo. I'm just sorry that you both lost someone so important to you." Callie reached over to take Arizona's hand to express her compassion as she noticed Arizona's face crumple just slightly.

Sensing Arizona was staving off a flow of emotions, Callie changed the subject back to Teo. "I'm sorry you had to see him at his worst. He's had a lot to deal with today, with school then Erica."

"Yeah," Arizona agreed. "Oh, his principal wanted me to remind you that he can't come back until Thursday."

Callie groaned in frustration. "God, there has to be a better way to deal with him than suspending him all the time. He even told me the other kids basically provoked him."

"He told me that also," Arizona confirmed for her.

"Ugh, suspensions so don't teach kids anything and it's more of a burden on the parents or caregivers. Now, I need to request time off, which I don't think I'll get because I've taken so much already and I have to try and figure out how to keep him occupied at the hospital for the next several days."

Arizona pondered Callie's dilemma and before she knew it offered a solution, "I could take him to Baltimore with me for a few days."

Callie looked at her like she had grown two heads. "I mean if it's ok with you. I could take him off your hands for a bit and give him a chance to see more of Tim's life back home. It could be good for him."

"Arizona, that's really kind of you to suggest but it's too much…"

Arizona interrupted Callie before she could decline her offer, "Really, I have a few days off too. I can take him around and I'm sure my parents would love to meet him. My dad would tell him all about Tim and probably his old war stories. You said Teo liked learning about the military, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"No buts, this is a good idea. One of my more awesome ideas actually," Arizona spoke confidently with a smile before her expression fell, "Unless you don't trust me enough, which makes total sense. You've only known me for 2 days but I care about Teo and I would take good care of him on his visit."

Callie's issue wasn't trust. It was scary how much she and Teo seemed to trust her after such a short period of knowing her. She was more worried about Arizona managing Teo's meltdowns. "It's not that. It's just… Teo he… Teo has those rages and… I don't want it to be too much for you." Callie was worried Teo's behavior could cause a chasm between them and Arizona and she desperately wanted the blonde to stay a part of their life, no matter how small.

Arizona tried to reassure her even though she was nervous herself. "I can handle it, I promise. I am a pediatric surgeon. I deal with my fair share of raging kids."

The thought of Teo spending time with Arizona, someone he clearly liked a great deal, and learning more about Tim, who was like a hero to him sounded good. Callie had vowed to make Teo a priority and this would be one way of doing it. It certainly would be better than having him spend inordinate time in the hospital with babysitters switching with each surgery or trauma that came in.

"Only if you're sure?" Callie asked.

"Definitely."

"Ok then."

"Yay!" Arizona exclaimed. Callie snorted at her childlike response. "I know you might be nervous about this, Callie, but I think this will be a good thing. And maybe because he's away from the boys at school and Erica, he won't have so many meltdowns. You know decreased stress and all?" She reasoned.

"I hope not."

"I'm just curious but has Teo seen someone?"

"Like a counselor or psychologist you mean?"

Arizona nodded her head.

"Yeah, well sort of. After his parents died and he was placed in my custody, he had to go to counseling as part of the evaluation process. He barely spoke to the psychologist. I think he had 5 or 6 sessions before they decided that he just wasn't going to open up and talk about his feelings to a stranger. That's why I think Tim was really helpful for him and I think why you have been really helpful to him. I don't know what you guys have talked about but I can tell in the way he interacts with you that he likes you and maybe more importantly trusts you. Those are big reasons why sending him to Baltimore with you isn't freaking me out," Callie spoke as she turned to make sure she held eye contact with Arizona.

"Callie…" Arizona tried to stop her speech.

"No Arizona. What you've built with Teo in such a short time… I haven't seen him this happy since before his parents died. Yeah, he still has his meltdowns and stuff but he also has moments where he is really, really happy and almost carefree and I haven't seen that in a long time."

"He makes it easy to like him. He makes it easy to want to just spend more time with him."

"He does."

"You make it easy, too." Arizona said as a blush creeped up her neck and face and she turned her attention back on the tv.

Callie's heart fluttered at the sweet thought. "Are we going to talk about what happened?" Callie shyly asked as she looked straight ahead at the television and not at the blonde next to her.

"We probably should," Arizona replied.

"Umm… ok."

Silence.

"Yeah, this is not exactly talking," Callie laughed nervously. She struggled to come up with words to say but eventually forged ahead and turned her head to try and reestablish eye contact with Arizona,"I'm sorry if I moved too fast. I know I started things between us and you weren't looking for that necessarily."

Arizona took on a slightly dejected expression and Callie noticed. "But I'm not sorry you kissed me," Callie clarified. "That kiss…" she continued on, "that kiss… was amazing. I haven't felt as alive as I did when I was kissing you in a very long time."

Arizona met Callie's eyes and for a second lost her train of thought. '_God, those eyes are so hypnotic' she thought to herself. _She reclaimed her thoughts and responded, "I shouldn't have kissed you though. You just broke up with Erica and you were feeling vulnerable."

"No, no I wasn't vulnerable." Callie turned more fully to make sure she could see Arizona's eyes and make sure Arizona could understand that she was telling the absolute truth. "You didn't take advantage of me or anything, Arizona. If you hadn't initiated the kiss, I would have. I was going to. I wanted to kiss you. I have wanted to kiss you since I first laid eyes on you."

Arizona's heart was already racing from the minute Callie sat next to her and it only sped up at Callie's words. "You have?"

"Yes. I said it earlier and I'll say it again. I feel a spark with you, Arizona. I felt it immediately when I saw you for the first time and it's only gotten stronger in the time I've had with you," Callie said so earnestly that Arizona's heart melted.

Arizona was so caught off guard and distracted by the strength of her own feelings that she stayed silent and didn't outwardly respond to Callie's heartfelt declaration.

"I mean it's a spark but sparks are easily extinguished right," Callie backtracked, taking Arizona's silence as disinterest. "I mean it might not even be a spark. More like a flicker. Yeah a flicker. So it's doesn't even need to be extinguished. I mean we don't have to do this. I'm perfectly content just pretending like the kiss didn't happen. We can just chalk it up to an impulsive whim. Or a signal misread or something. That happens right. Someone reads signals and cues wrong. Doesn't make them a bad person or anything. They just likely embarrass themselves and want to crawl in a hole but that's perfectly ok."

Callie was on a nonstop ramble. "I mean we have to learn from our mistakes right. I've learned in a lot in my 30 some odd years. I mean…" To Arizona it was an adorably cute ramble, so cute and adorable that she almost hated to interrupt, but she was intent on interrupting.

Arizona cut off Callie's ramble with a kiss. This one wasn't as gentle as their earlier one. This one was raw, passionate, and aggressive. This kiss was wrapped in absolute need for the woman in front of her. Arizona, never breaking the kiss, cupped Callie's face in her hands and applied more pressure to Callie's lips, taking advantage of a small opening and letting her tongue duel with Callie's. A pleasure filled moan escaped Callie and Callie's hands wandered up and down Arizona's back, caressing and memorizing every feature. And that was all it took to ruin Arizona's resolve to keep this PG. She, too, moaned in absolute pleasure as she moved one of her hands from caressing Callie's cheeks to caressing her arms, shoulders and neck. She gently applied pressure with her hand as she pushed Callie to lean back against the sofa. Arizona never breaking the kiss moved to straddle her waist, Callie's arms encircling her and desperately grasping onto Arizona's back attempting to get her as close as possible. Arizona pulled away breathlessly but Callie quickly closed the distance again, igniting another frenzied kiss. Callie's disengaged briefly almost eliciting a whimper of disappointment from Arizona when she felt lips move across her jaw, then her chin and down to her neck. Callie was leaving feather light kisses on her neck, applying just the gentlest of pressure. Arizona's nerves were on fire and before she knew it the word "more" fell from her lips. She felt Callie smile into her neck before the sensations of plump lips sucking at her pulse point took over. Arizona moaned in enjoyment. Callie's alternated between sucking, licking, and gently nipping at the smooth flesh before her. The taste of Arizona's skin something uniquely intoxicating. As she continued to deliver such pleasure to Arizona, Arizona's hands grew increasing inpatient. She buried them in Callie's hair before moving to her upper back, sliding across both shoulders towards her front and slipping down to her chest to cup Callie's breasts. Callie gasped when Arizona's hands made contact with them. Arizona massaging and caressing her breasts through her clothes. Arizona wasn't sure two more perfect mounds of flesh existed. They felt full and heavy in her hands and seemed to fit just perfectly in her grasp. She could only imagine what they felt like without clothing as a barrier. She desperately wanted to find out. And just as that thought came to her, it seemed to snap her back to reality. "Callie… Callie…," she tried to get her to stop. Callie did not stop. "Callie… Teo's upstairs, we can't…"

The mention of Teo was enough to bring Callie back from the haze of desire she was in, allowing the heat and fire building in Callie to wane… at least temporarily. "Right… Teo."

Arizona climbed off Callie and sat next to her, face flushed with desire. "What are we doing?" Arizona asked out loud.

"I… I.. don't know," Callie responded.

"I mean you live in Seattle and I live in Baltimore. This… this won't work." _'And I'm so screwed up, so not even close to the head space needed for a relationship. I'm a disaster when it comes to relationships. And Teo? I mean Teo is part of the package. It's Callie and Teo together. I'm not ready for that. I just can't do this,' Arizona thought to herself. _

Callie deflated at the thought. Rationally speaking, she knew it wouldn't work… shouldn't work, but that didn't mean she wasn't interested in trying.

"We could try…" Callie started, "… we could just not think too much about it and let whatever happens, happens?"

Arizona looked at her skeptically. "Do you really think "whatever happens," she gestured with air quotes, "isn't going to include more of what we just did?"

A seductive grin came over Callie's face, "I'm hoping it will include more of what we just did. In fact…" she trailed off as she moved to whisper into Arizona's ear, "the way you felt under my lips, under my hands…" Callie began nibbing on her earlobe, "I'm banking on "whatever happens" happening." Callie continued to tease Arizona as Arizona's will was dwindling, "What I'm suggesting is we don't over think it or analyze it. We do what we want, what we feel and we deal with it later."

"No strings attached type thing," Arizona asked as she turned to capture Callie's lips in a heated kiss.

Callie pulled back after a few seconds to clarify, "No, not no strings attached. More like strings we worry about cutting later."

"Callie, I'm not sure how that works?"

"Listen, we like each other and we decided that Teo is going to Baltimore with you for a few days. I'll fly out to pick him up to bring him back with me to Seattle and maybe that'll be the end of whatever "this" is, but in the meantime, we just enjoy it." Callie emphasized her explanation by drawing in Arizona with a tender but heart stopping kiss.

Arizona knew she should disagree. She knew she should think more rationally about the situation and not dig herself a hole she may not be able to get out of. She didn't want to get hurt and she didn't want to be responsible for hurting anyone. She had been through enough heartbreak and wasn't interested in experiencing more, but the second she felt Callie's hands caressing her sides and then the underside of her breasts, she was a goner. "Ok, we'll cut the strings later."

"Exactly."

Kisses were shared and hands roamed for the next hour, both women never making a move from the couch so as not to tempt themselves more. With Teo in the house, they were careful not to take things too far. Teo was a bad sleeper and Callie knew the chances of a bad dream or nightmare waking him up were high, so she was content with a junior high make out with Arizona, though her arousal was nearly killing her. Arizona anxious at the prospect of giving Teo the wrong idea was also content with the situation as is. After some time, the two women's fervent kisses died down and they shared more gentle, sweet, and intimate ones. Callie was the first to suggest going to bed.

"We should try and get some sleep."

Arizona giggled, "Uh sure, like sleep is going to be easy to come by now."

Callie laughed. She understood the feeling all too well. Her heart was still racing. "I know, but we still need sleep, " Callie said as she stood up.

Arizona pouted as she looked up at a departing Callie and Callie wondered if there existed anything more adorable than a pouting Arizona Robbins. Callie leaned down and ghosted Arizona's lips with her own as she gazed into her eyes and sweetly caressed her cheek, "Eres la mujer más hermosa que he visto en mi vida. Dulces sueños Arizona."

'_That's it. I'm so done for. Now, this gorgeous woman is speaking Spanish to me. 'Could she be any more captivating?' She thought to herself._

"What did you say?" Arizona rasped out.

"That's something you'll just have to figure out, won't you?" And with that, Callie left one last kiss on pink lips and headed upstairs leaving a stunned Arizona looking on, only to have a smile take over her face as she replayed the night in her head.

* * *

"_Hurry up, Slowpoke!" Tim yelled as he turned to run backwards so he could face his sister. She was a good clip behind him so he halted. _

"_I sooo hate you," Arizona gasped out as she caught up to her ever, always fit brother. _

"_No, you love me." He said with a twinkle in his eye._

"_Yeah, yeah." _

"_C'mon sis. We need to work on your stamina."_

"_Actually, my stamina is just fine. Carly has no complaints." Arizona smirked wickedly at her brother. _

"_Ew, gross. Don't ever allude to your sex life with me, I mean EVER again. Yuck, I soo didn't need to hear that."_

"_Then stop talking about my stamina."_

"_Fine, lesson learned." Tim said begrudgingly. _

_He looked at Arizona curiously, almost debating if she was ready to hear what he had to say next._

"_Arizona?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Don't take this the wrong way ok, but about Carly… I know you've been together for a while and I know you think she's going to be a part of your future but I don't think she's the one for you. I know you think she is, but I don't see that sparkle in your eye… that hit it out of the ballpark, fireworks going off on the 4__th__ of July kind of thing. That magic isn't there and baby sister that's what I want for you. It's what you deserve."_

"_You getting all sappy on me Tim?" Arizona tried to lighten the conversation. _

"_No, I just want what's best for you. All I'm saying is leave yourself open to the possibility that something great, greater is out there for you."_

"_Since when do you believe in that "magic" kind of love, big brother?"_

"_Since you were born," he said without hesitation. "You're my kid sister, Arizona and the minute you were born I took being your big brother seriously. That includes believing that that once in a lifetime stuff that girls always talk about, that it applies to you too. So just think about it, ok? Be open to the possibility that someone may come along and make all your dreams come true. She may make you realize dreams you never even knew you had. She'll change the game for you. And that's the person who I want you to be marrying when I dance at your wedding because I'm going to dance so hard."_

_Arizona had tears in her eyes from her brother's sweet declaration. "Who knew Tim Robbins was such a sap?"_

"_Am not!" _

"_Are too!"_

"_Whatever, whose the sap now?!" He yelled as he took off running. "C'mon Slowpoke! Let's go!"_

"_Tim! Tim! Tim!" _

_All of a sudden the scene changed and they were no longer together in the park. She was screaming for him as his coffin was being lowered into the ground. "Tim, Tim, Tim!" _

* * *

Whimpering, muffled crying… those were the sounds that awoke Teo in the middle of the night. He turned to look at his clock and it was roughly 3am. Confused a bit disoriented he listened a bit more carefully to see if he was possibly hearing things. Yet again he heard the cries. He knew what nighttime crying sounded like. He was pro at it himself these days. He cried many nights missing his parents, waking from nightmares. Yes, the nighttime cry… it was a sound he knew well. For the first time, it wasn't coming from him though so he went in search of his aunt, convinced he could help her. When he opened his bedroom door, however, the sounds were not coming from her room. They were coming from the front of their home. He quietly made his way downstairs and found the source of the noise. In the shadow of the moonlight which crept in from the window, he saw Arizona. She was curled up on the couch, blankets and pillows strewn across the floor. Her body was shaking and she was whimpering, almost as if in pain. Tears were falling and dripping off her nose because of the angle. Sporadic mumbling came out of her mouth though Teo had a hard time deciphering what she was saying. He came closer to see if he could understand. He made out the words "no," "please" and then the biggest clue to her suffering of all, "Tim." Cries of "Tim! Tim! Tim!" were what Teo heard most clearly and his heart just dropped. He reached out to gently shake her shoulder. "Arizona? Arizona, wake up. It's ok. You're dreaming." He continued to gently try and prod her awake. "Wake up, Arizona. Please, wake up." And with one final louder prompt, "Arizona!," and one final shake of her shoulder, Arizona eyes snapped open. It took her a few seconds to reorient herself but when she did, Teo was standing there with an anxious expression on his face.

"Arizona, are you ok?" He gently asked.

"Umm, yeah. Yeah, I'm ok. I'm sorry I woke you up. I was… was just dreaming," she tried to explain as she slowly sat up.

"I know," Teo replied. "But are you ok?" He asked again.

Arizona went to reply but Teo cut her off.

"You don't have to be. I cry at night too."

And with that whatever resolve Arizona was holding onto, withered straight away. Her grief, which tended to rear its ugly head at the most inopportune times, came on in waves. Her stranglehold on control broke and she let the grief she felt overtake her, even if for a few moments. Teo standing in front of a broken Arizona felt helpless as tears of his own slipped down his cheeks. He was crying for his new friend whose pain was clearly evident, he was crying because she missed Tim and Teo missed him too, and he was crying because in Arizona's grief, Teo's own grief was coming out. The woman in front of him covered her face with her hands as if willing her hands to put a stop to the tears. But that's when she felt something, her hands being pried away from her face by small, little hands. She opened her eyes to see Teo slowly bringing her hands down from her face and spreading her hands and arms apart. Before she could ask him what he was doing, he settled himself into the space between her hands and arms and embraced her. He murmured "shhh" and slowly rubbed her back as she buried his face into her shoulders. His body was trembling and she knew he was crying too but what she mostly registered was this boy, who'd been through so much, was trying to comfort her in her time of need. This young boy who was a ball of feelings and emotions: confusion, fear sadness, and anger, was trying to help her. Arizona cried even more at this display of absolute care and compassion. After they held each other for what seemed like hours but was in reality only a few minutes, Teo pulled back and as he did so wiped the tears from Arizona's cheeks with his fingers.

"I'm sorry you're sad," came the simple words of comfort from Callie's nephew.

"Oh sweetheart, I know. I'm sorry you're sad too. I'm sorry I cried all over you," Arizona tried to joke.

"It's ok. I…I miss Tim, too. And my mami and papi," With that a few more tears escaped Arizona's eyes.

"I know you do."

Letting that acknowledgement hang in the air for a few seconds, all that was heard was silence in the Torres home.

"Why don't you head back to bed and try and get some sleep?" Arizona prompted.

Teo looked in the direction of his room but made no move to go. His hesitation did not go unnoticed by Arizona.

"I could stay with you, in case you get sad or scared again?"

Trying to reassure him, "I'm ok Teo. I promise."

Still, Teo hovered around. "But…it's really ok."

"I know, kiddo. But I'm ok."

Teo looked like a cross between disappointed and upset and it confused Arizona but he relented.

"Ok. Goodnight," and with that Teo headed back to his room but not before Arizona noticed new tears in his eyes.

Arizona then realized that Teo's asking to stay may have been for her as much as for him. Just as she was considering whether to check on him, she heard footsteps paddle down the hall. Still sitting up she was met with a sheepish looking Teo who had his Transformers pillow under one arm and stuffed dog in his opposite hand. She grinned at his adorableness.

"Arizona, you said you're ok and I believe you but you're still sad. And well Auntie Callie says I give the best "feel better" hugs in the world. And I'm small. I mean I'm a big kid but I'm still small. Everyone says I'm small for my age. But Auntie Callie says it's good I'm small because she can squeeze me and cuddle me and I fit good in her arms when she hugs me and I can still fit on her lap. And the couch is small and I'm small so I don't take up a lot of room and I can fit. I won't fall but if I do it's not going to hurt because it's only so high," he gestured with his hand as he finally seemed to take a much needed breath.

Arizona was so close to breaking out in laughter. She now knew that cute and endearing rambling ran in the Torres family.

"And…" Teo exhaled slowly and deeply, "…and…we talked about Tim and my mami and papi and I'm sad and I'm a little scared I'll have a bad dream. So can I sleep out here with you? Please?"

Arizona's heart both broke and swelled at the request. This little boy was capturing her heart and yet at the same time her heart broke for him. She made herself comfortable as she laid down and edged as close to the back of the couch as possible, clearly making room for Teo. He smiled at her and laid down next to her on his side, facing her. Arizona, head on hand, stared down at him and lightly brushed his nose and forehead with her finger, offering the actions as soothing gestures. She found that it comforted her as much as it comforted him. This thought bringing a smile to her face. "Better?" She asked.

"Yes. Thank you, Arizona," came Teo's reply. He moved closer to her, nuzzled his face into her shoulder and neck, and wrapped his arm around her, giving her a slightly awkward hug before turning himself over to the other side, making him the little spoon to Arizona and the big spoon to his beloved stuffed dog.

Arizona, touched by his desire for closeness and his affection towards her, wrapped her arm around his middle. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared or fearful of what was happening between her and Callie and now her and Teo. But she would also be lying if she said that she wasn't falling for the both of them.

"Teo," Arizona whispered.

"Mhm?," came the sleeply reply.

"I'm glad you're small."

"Me too."

* * *

That god awful buzzing. That was always the thought that prevailed in Callie's semiconscious mind when her alarm clock went off. She reached for it and pouted at the idea of waking up early on a Saturday morning, but she was determined to keep Teo on the same wake/sleep cycle so they both got up at the same time every day, school and work or not. After getting out of bed and performing her morning routine, she went to wake up Teo only to find that his bed was empty. She huffed, thinking that Teo's sleep was still problematic and he had been up for some time. She went into the kitchen, where Teo normally went after waking up before Callie, but it too was empty. Worry and sheer panic was starting to seep in when she went to the living room and saw quite the sight on the couch. A huge smile took hold of her face as she looked down on a sleeping Arizona and Teo. Arizona was essentially flat on her back on the couch with Teo curled into her side with one of his small arms wrapped around her middle and Arizona's hand laying on top of his arm, almost as if securing the hold he had on her. Callie wasn't sure if she should cry at such a heartwarming sight or take a picture to tease them with later.

Callie cleared her throat, loudly and Arizona's eyes fluttered open and a confused yet innocent expression took over her face. Callie thought she was absolutely adorable.

"Morning," Callie greeted.

Arizona yawned and attempted to stretch, only to recognize she couldn't quite stretch because of the little body that was attached to her like an appendage.

"Morning, Callie. Umm…" Arizona suddenly felt awkward. "Teo… well he asked to sleep out here. I didn't think you'd mind?" She stated as more of a question.

"Oh no, I'm just sorry you didn't get to sleep very well. It doesn't look particularly comfortable."

"He's actually quite the cuddle bear. It worked ok."

"I'm not a teddy bear," came the grumpy and muffled reply. Teo opened one of his eyes to show his aunt he was awake.

"Oh really?" asked Callie in a playful and teasing tone. "Because I think you'd make a great teddy bear. All cuddly and squishy and tickly…" Callie broke off as she tickled her nephew. Arizona joined in and the laughter emitting from all three was the happiest sound the Torres house had seen in quite some time.

"Ok, ok. I give up," cried Teo. "I'm a cuddle bear!" He squealed and laughed heartily in an attempt to make the two adults stop.

The two women just laughed in response as they shared the most loving looks between them over Teo's head.

Callie signaled with her head for Arizona to tell Teo about their plan.

"Teo, I have something important to ask you."

Teo's giggling immediately ceased and he came to attention. "Yes?"

"How would you like to come with me to Baltimore?"

The little boy quickly sat up and bounced with pent up excitement as he looked from Arizona to Callie. "Really?"

"Really, really, Teo." Arizona responded. "You aren't going to school for a few days and I don't work for a few days so we were thinking you could come back with me and we could spend a few days together. How does that sound?"

"How does that sound?" Teo asked sarcastically. "It sounds so cool! Please Auntie Callie!" he stated excitedly.

Callie laughed. "It was partly my idea. You don't need to beg. You have my permission."

"Yay, we're going to Baltimore!" Teo threw himself at both Callie and Arizona, offering them a simultaneous hug. They hugged him back and smiled affectionately at each other as Teo talked to himself about all the things he needed to pack. They just laughed at the immensely excited 8-year-old.

* * *

**A/N4: Next up, tripping to Bmore! Callie stays behind in Seattle or does she? **


	8. Chapter 8

**My apologies for the massive delay in getting this updated (special apology to CalzonaFan123). I was in the process of moving after my last update and it just so happened to be a move to Oklahoma City during their tornado spree. Needless to say, I was delayed by related issues. I had a fairly lengthy Chapter 8 written previously but decided to rewrite it. After taking a few weeks away from it and rereading it, it felt like there was something missing so this is more of a filler to get us to the next part which is their trip to the East Coast. So sorry this chapter isn't particularly good but again it's filler and it's an update so it's something. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's or any Grey's characters. Teo is mine and I like him so I'll keep him. **

**As always, reviews are welcome. And for those of you who have been reviewing, please be on the lookout for responses as I will be responding to each review personally in the next few days. I've been very delinquent on that and need to remedy that.**

* * *

"So you're sure you'll be ok with him?" Callie asked Arizona for what seemed like the 100th time.

Arizona feigned her annoyance with an overdramatic rolling of her blue eyes and followed it up with an amused grin towards Callie. "I promise we'll be ok, Callie. I'll make sure he is well taken care of."

"It's just…"

"I know, Callie. We've been over this and I've seen Teo's mood and behavior first hand. He's a moody, broody 8-year-old who gets angry at the drop of a hat. He alternates between tears and screams and you never know when it's coming."

"You make it sound like it's no big deal," Callie said with a bit of skepticism in her tone.

"No, I know it's a big deal. A really big deal… I just know what I'm getting myself into," Arizona replied. Internally she was wondering if she was trying to convince herself as much as she was Callie. "You know…" Arizona hesitated then pushed through… "I know this trip is for Teo but if work isn't an issue, you could come to?"Arizona asked with a rising blush.

Looking around to see if Teo was out of earshot, Arizona leant further across the breakfast bar and ran her fingertips gently over Callie's forearm, "I know we don't know how to define what's happening here," signaling between herself and Callie, "I know we're just sort of going with the flow and not overanalyzing things but if you were able to come along we'd have one more week of… of not overanalyzing things."

Callie let loose one of her flirtatious smiles, "You mean one more week of enjoying this before we worry about cutting the strings?"

"That was your proposal wasn't it?" Arizona ventured to clarify.

Getting lost in those beautiful pools of blue, Callie recovered, "Uh yeah… yeah it was." Regaining her concentration on the issue at hand, "But I have to work. I actually have a surgery scheduled in a few hours."

Callie couldn't help but notice the brief look of disappointment that flashed across Arizona's face only to be quickly replaced by a forced smile. "Right, sure. I mean that makes sense."

Both women allowed silence to overtake them for a few seconds, though it seemed like an eternity, until Arizona spoke up, "Well, Teo and I can hang out here for a bit since our flight isn't for a few hours. Do you have an extra key so we can lock up behind us?"

"Umm, yeah Teo has a key." Callie really didn't want their goodbye to be this abrupt but she had trouble finding other words to say.

Again not receiving much from Callie, Arizona let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. This woman was confusing to her. One second she was flirting and the next it seemed like she could barely come up with anything to say to Arizona. "Well, great," replied Arizona. "I think I'm all set then. I'll make sure Teo calls to check in and all. And you'll send me your flight info for when you pick him up on Sunday?"

" Yeah, I'll send it later tonight."

"Ok," Arizona responded distractedly, seemingly looking anywhere but at Callie. A distinct feeling of disappointment had been present but now it was turning into feelings of rejection. Was Callie just going to brush her off without giving her much of a goodbye? Was this Callie's way of cutting the strings already? Before she could ponder what was happening or, in this case, not happening, Teo came bounding into the kitchen, full of energy and excitement.

"Ok… ok… I… I… just finished packing…. finally. I…I listened this time" the breathless boy announced. Both Arizona and Callie laughed and that seemed to break the tension that was previously present. They had spent a few hours earlier convincing Teo he didn't need to pack anything and everything under the sun for his trip to Maryland. The explanation finally sinking in as Teo, with Callie's help, adequately packed for a week long trip to Baltimore while Arizona booked their tickets. Fast forward about an hour and the little boy was finally all ready but seemed to have expended a great deal of energy in doing so.

"Teo why are you so out of breath?" Arizona asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"I was listening to music while I finished packing. Tim said he listened to "Jump Around" by House of Pain when he was getting psyched up for something. So I was… jumping around to it on my Ipod," he explained a little sheepishly.

They both looked at the little boy not clearly understanding, "because I'm psyched…" he continued… "to go to Marylannnnddddd." He drawed out in an exaggerated way to clarify himself to the women in front of him.

"Oh," came both Arizona's and Callie's responses, both with a teasing glint in their eyes.

Teo rolled his eyes, "Ugh, so not cool" he muttered under his breath.

Callie scoffed, "Wait one second, I am too cool."

"Auntie Callie you lost cool points on that one. Sorry." He stated matter of factly.

Arizona laughed at the exchange. Teo turned to her, "You did too!" That shut Arizona up.

* * *

Callie was in the attendings' lounge, still trying to piece together what had happened as she left her home that morning. She and Teo had shared an affectionate and emotional goodbye. Though excited about his adventure, he was a bit reluctant to let go of his aunt. There were tears, on both their parts, and tight, smothering hugs. Between Callie and Arizona, however, there was not much beyond a slightly awkward hug and awkward silence while Teo looked on with a quirked eyebrow. How had things gotten so weird between the two adults, Callie wondered. They went from a make out on her couch, a hot and arousing make out, a hot and arousing make out that left Callie reeling and desperately wanting to feel Arizona's lips and tongue again… from that to a goodbye that felt distant and forced. What was even more was that in the last few days Callie had felt a connection with Arizona. It was more than a physical attraction or connection, though that could definitely not be denied, it was also an emotional connection. Callie felt comfortable in Arizona's presence, she felt at ease with her, and she just felt like there was something there… something there that could maybe be something… something more. Yes, she had been the one to suggest "cutting strings" but she did not want to cut strings right now, she did not want to cut strings like this. Callie's thoughts were interrupted as she unknowingly barreled right into Mark.

"Whoa, Torres!" Mark caught himself from being plowed into.

" I mean I know you're into the ladies right now but I'm not that invisible," Mark laughed.

"Sorry Mark." Callie said as she moved past him, attempting to continue on her way.

Turning so he started walking alongside his friend, Mark attempted to get to the bottom of his friend's less than pleasant mood. "So what's gotten into you? Blondie?!" Mark joked. "Oh wait, Blondie hasn't gotten into you? Maybe that's what this is about, hmm?" A shit eating grin on Mark's face.

At that moment, Callie wanted to slap the smirk off of him. "Shut it, Mark."

"Ohh, that's it isn't it?"

Callie just glared at him.

"Ok seriously, what's going on? Why are you upset? Did Arizona leave?"

"Not yet. She and Teo are leaving in a few hours." Callie explained not noticing Mark's confused expression.

"What do you mean she and Teo?"

"Oh, yeah I forget we haven't talked since yesterday. Umm… Teo got suspended for most of the next week so Arizona volunteered to take him to Maryland with her."

"Callie what?"

"Shh, let me finish." Callie admonished and then continued. "Teo's been… different since Arizona popped up in our lives. He has some sort of connection to her. He is forging a relationship with her that is reminiscent of his relationship with Tim. I don't know, maybe he sees Tim in her or something."

Mark continued to listen as Callie seemed to be searching for the words to further explain this turn of events.

"I don't know what it is, Mark, but she's good for him. And… well… and I need to be good to him. I let… I let… Erica treat him horribly for the last few months. I put her or me or our relationship or something before Teo. I don't know why but I didn't put Teo first and I need to do that now. There is nothing good about Teo just spending his suspension in the attendings' lounge or bouncing from one babysitter to the next. It could do him some good though to go to Maryland and feel closer to Tim and Arizona."

Mark noticed the pained expression on his friend's face. He couldn't quite make out all the emotions but he recognized guilt, sadness and more importantly a need for comfort. "Callie, you've been great to Teo. Don't question that."

"But Erica…"

"But Erica nothing. You tried to see if things would work between all three of you and it didn't and now it's over. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Callie smiled gratefully at Mark. "Thanks, Mark."

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not done lecturing," he said seriously.

Callie looked on confused.

"You talked about this being good for Teo but what about you, Cal? Why don't you go with them?"

"Oh right Mark, just abandon work and head to the East Coast?"

"Callie, your sister and brother-in-law died and you took on Teo no questions asked. Where in that timeline did you grieve or take time for yourself?" He searched her eyes trying to make her see his point of view. "Go with them, Cal. Teo will have his time on this trip and then you can too. With Arizona there, you'll have time to take for yourself and not have to worry about Teo. And we all know you, Callie, you'll worry about Teo constantly if you aren't with him. So go, Callie, seriously."

"And what, I just cancel all my surgeries?"

"The electives you can reschedule and the others," Mark contemplated the options. "Well, you have basically been running Ortho solo so let Chang finally do some work. He would love to take over for you. It'll make him feel like he isn't the fossil he is and it'll make him less resentful that you took over department head from him."

Callie looked to be considering Mark's words. "You think?" She asked.

"Nope," Mark smiled at her. "I know."

* * *

Arizona and Teo were seated at the gate waiting for their flight to depart. Arizona had texted as soon as she had returned her car rental to let Callie know they had made it the airport safely and was somewhat disheartened when she received no response. They had left things both unsaid and awkward between them earlier and Arizona was just hoping it wasn't because of those things but rather because Callie was in surgery and that prevented her from acknowledging Arizona's text with even a short response.

"She still hasn't said anything?" came the question from her young travel companion. When Arizona looked at him with a surprised expression, he attempted to clarify "Auntie Callie, I mean. You keep checking your phone and I think it's because you're waiting to hear from her."

Chuckling to herself at Teo's brazen and bold assertion, "Teo, has anyone ever told you that you try to meddle a little too much?"

He narrowed his eyebrows in challenge, "And has anyone ever told you that you try to change the subject a little too much?"

Arizona laughed at the whit of the youngster then tried to cover her bases, "I was waiting on a text from your aunt but only to make sure she knew we got here safely. I don't want her worrying."

Teo did not seem convinced, "Uh huh, whatever you say."

Curiosity getting the best of her, Arizona decided to press Teo for a little Callie insider info. "So Teo, before you moved to Seattle with your auntie, how often did you see her?"

Teo's face took on a pensive look which Arizona found absolutely adorable. His brows wrinkled and furrowed and he tapped his chin as if he was dredging up the answer from within himself, "I don't know. A lot. She came for every Christmas and for every birthday party I had and she's my godmother so I have pictures of her when I was baptized. Oh and my first communion. So a lot."

"I see, and did she always come alone or did she come with friends?"

"Um sometimes alone. Then with Uncle George. Oh and Mark came once too."

Arizona was officially confused. "Mark, I remember but I don't recall meeting your Uncle George?"

"Oh you wouldn't have. He… he died."

"Oh gosh, Teo. I'm sorry."

"I don't remember a lot about him because he only came sometimes with my auntie to visit but he seemed nice. My mami, though, didn't like him. I heard her talking to my papi one night saying she didn't think Auntie Callie should've married him."

Completely surprised by the revelation, Arizona coughed up some of the water she had sipped from her water bottle just then.

"Your auntie was married?!"

"Uh, yeah. You didn't know that? I said Uncle George."

"Well yeah but I thought maybe he was a good friend of your aunt's and you just called him uncle."

"Oh, nope. They got married. He was ok I guess. Better than Erica, that's for sure."

"Erica right. So she came after George?"

"Yes'm."

To Arizona it sounded like Callie was a newborn. No wonder things were so confusing between them. Newborns were always confusing.

"So Callie has had both boyfriends and girlfriends," it was more of a statement from Arizona than question.

Teo looked at Arizona curiously, "Boyfriends and 1 girlfriend, why?"

"I was just wondering," Arizona said a little dejectedly at having the newborn status confirmed.

"You know, I don't care that Auntie Callie likes boys or girls."

Arizona listened in surprise at that statement. She hadn't wondered about it but Teo seemed to feel it was necessary to clarify.

"My abuela cares but I don't. And my abuelo doesn't either. And neither did my mami and papi. Do you know why my abuela thinks it's bad? For my Auntie Callie to likes girls I mean?"

Arizona looked on at Teo and wanted so much to bottle up his thoughts and feelings and pass it out for public consumption to those who dared to suggest it was wrong.

"I really don't, Teo."

"It doesn't make sense right? Why does it matter if my auntie falls in love with a man or woman? What's important is that she falls in love. What's important is that she's happy. That's all that matters isn't it?"

The genuine emotion and beliefs behind those words struck Arizona deeply. If only other adults could think like the little boy in front of her. "You're right, Teo. That's really all that matters." Arizona overwhelmed by the emotion he elicited with his words, suddenly and unexpectedly hugged Teo as she whispered, "thank you."

"For what," Teo asked in response as he hugged her back.

"For being you," Arizona replied,

"Oh," content with her response, "ok."

* * *

Arizona and Teo were currently seated in their seats as the remaining passengers were attempting to board the airplane. Everything had gone fairly smoothly up until this point. That was until Arizona noticed that Teo's hands were gripping the arm rests on both sides of him so tightly that his fingertips were white. When she reached over to touch his hand, Teo looked up at Arizona and tears were clearly in his eyes.

"What is it, Teo? What's wrong?"

"I ca… I can… I can't do this. I'm scared, Arizona. I haven't flown since mami and papi…." his voice trailed off.

"You haven't flown since then? How did you get to Seattle from Miami?"

"We… we… drove to get all my things to Auntie Callie's. I'm… I'm… sorry. I didn't … I didn't… think…."

Arizona took his hand in hers and attempted to soothe him, "it's ok, Teo. It's ok." Although Arizona's words were as comforting in tone as she could make them, Arizona herself was an anxious flier and so the words weren't having the desired effect. Her own words were jittery and her own hands trembling, causing Teo's fear to increase. Teo's breathing was picking up and Arizona was panicked that he was going to have a panic attack. The two were feeding off each other and not in a good way. Just as Arizona contemplated deplaning and reconsidering their trip, a calm and soothing voice was heard. "Is this seat taken?"

Both Arizona and Teo looked up and were surprised to see Callie standing there with the biggest and brightest smile, a smile that quickly faded however when she took in the pale and rather frightened features of the two individuals before her.

"What, what's going on?"

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Arizona attempted to reign in her anxiety to speak up, "Teo is worried. Flying and all."

Realization dawned on Callie. She signaled to Arizona discretely to switch places with her and took Teo's left hand in hers. He applied a death grip to it. "Look at me, Teo."

The boy turned his head.

"You're ok. I know it's scary but we're gonna be ok."

"How, how can you be sure? Mami and papi…"

"I know baby. What happened to their plane was awful but it was an accident. It's not going to happen again. When accidents happen, people are even more careful in the future to make sure they don't happen again. They double and triple checked the plane to be sure it was safe. And you know what else?"

"What?" Teo asked as the grip on Callie's hand slackened just a bit.

"Your mami and papi are going to help keep you safe. They're looking out for you."

And turning to take her other nervous flyer's hand in hers, reaching for Arizona's right with her left hand, Callie added, "And Tim is too." Arizona turned to her and they looked into each other's eyes, "He's going to help keep us all safe." With that Callie settled into her middle seat, leaning back and closing her eyes, with her hands clasping both Arizona's and Teo's.

"I'm really glad you're here," Arizona quietly whispered. Her eyes as she looked on at Callie conveying more than just relief at having some comfort during her mini anxiety attack.

"I'm glad too," Teo added.

"Good because I wasn't ready to miss you yet." Callie glanced at Arizona hoping she realized the words were directed at both Teo and her. She smiled when she noticed a flush of red rise in Arizona. "I'm exactly where I want to be, where I need to be."

And all three of them settled in for their plane ride, Callie especially content to be sandwiched between her nephew and the woman she couldn't stop thinking about.


End file.
